By Amin Kef Sesay
In recent months, Sierra Leoneans have been emotionally overwhelmed by the frequency of gruesome and fatal road accidents leaving in their wakes vacuums in family households, workplaces, institutions, communities and the State as a whole and sorrow in the minds of loved ones. The spate at which such accidents are taking place is very alarming and calls for serious reflection, stocktaking and the enhancement of affirmative actions by all relevant stakeholders, spearheaded by the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) in order to address this serious malaise that continues to consume precious lives.
It could indeed be justifiable to attribute the rising tide of fatal road crashes to the rainy season when cognisance is taken of slippery roads whenever there is a heavy downpour. Vehicles plying on slippery highways are at risks of being involved in fatal road crashes if caution is thrown to the wind.
The Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), over the years, has rolled out various sensitization programs via conducted workshops, seminars, television and radio talk shows all geared towards heightening road safety awareness. The Authority has developed, rolled out guidelines on road safety and its Traffic Corps are charged with the key responsibility to enforce those guidelines, rules and regulations on defaulters of these traffic rules in order to prevent or reduce road crashes.
However, it is one thing to have good road safety rules in place but it is quite another thing to ensure that they are enforced to the letter. What is lamentably noticeable, though, is that the SLRSA’s Traffic Corps are more interested in imposing fines on errant drivers rather than actually concentrating on tackling the lapses for which fines are imposed. What could be wise enough to do is to impound a faulty vehicle and ensure that the faults detected or the missing links are fixed instead of imposing fines, leave the faults intact, with the vehicle let go with the same faults.
It is understandable that the SLRSA is keen on generating much needed revenue for the central Government but the safety of passengers and pedestrians do matter and must take precedence over the zest for revenue mobilization.
From a research undertaken recently what clearly came out was that it is very difficult in this country for vehicles to be impounded for smooth tyres, overloading, defaulting lights compared to double parking, expired licenses, insurance etc. To be very frank, the SLRSA does not seem to be placing priority on those lapses that lead to fatal accidents but is rather more interested in dealing with minor offences for which fines could be imposed.
It must be reiterated that it is indeed ridiculous for the SLRSA to be slamming fines on commercial vehicles for what are considered to be minor offences and on the other hand turning a blind eye to those defects on private vehicles which could lead to serious road accidents.
On its part, the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) has made some good in-roads in terms of roads rehabilitation, erection of road signs but it is expected that there must be a synergy between SLRSA and SLRA to enhance robust enforcement of safety rules and regulations ,which if properly done will minimize road crashes that continue to claim precious lives.
In light of the above, it is recommended that there must be massive outreach and sensitization campaigns that should be centred on road safety issues. It must be an ongoing process not only limited to intermittent workshops where there are selected beneficiaries without any cascading effects. These campaigns must be inclusive by bringing relevant stakeholders on-board, including the media, Police, the Drivers’ Union, Passenger’s Welfare Association with the main objective of targeting the wider citizenry. Excuses of placing heavy financial burden on the SLRSA to undertake such sensitization campaigns could not be justifiable or accepted.
Yes it is known that SLRSA has a fitness centre and it was understood that recently they will be doing so digitally which is indeed a good move. However, what is also known is that vehicle fitness examination are only done when owners are licensing vehicles but when once that has been obtained that is the end of fitness check. Out there on the streets it is left to the whims and caprices of traffic police personnel and road safety corps to determine whether to check vehicles for road worthiness or not. Take a look at some of the commercial buses, the rickety trucks, the trailers that ply our roads and you can just understand the point that is been underscored.
The Authority must embark on quarterly inspection of vehicles to determine their road worthiness. But before this is done SLRSA must ensure that the inspection starts at the Queen Elizabeth Port where it must affirm that vehicles with smooth tyres and other defects should not be cleared until the faults are rectified.
It appears that this country has now become a dumping ground for used vehicles. All types of scrap vehicles are shipped into the country without quality tests done to ascertain their road worthiness.
Regular maintenance of roads must be done by the SLRA. It could be agreed that some of our roads have become death traps and the situation has degenerated especially with the coming of the rains. Accepted that during the rainy season it is difficult to maintenance dilapidated roads but it will continue to be a lacuna on the part of SLRA to leave these roads unrepaired even during the dry season. With so many potholes, some of these roads have become so dangerous to ply.
As it has been determined that certain fatal accidents are related to drunk driving it is but advisable to use breathalysers to determine the drunkenness (or not) of drivers. When drivers are aware that they will be tested then they will think twice of yielding to the temptation of drinking before driving.
If the aforementioned are done sincerely, devoid of any form of personal aggrandizement, in tandem with frequent campaigns when the usual road safety rules and regulations should be widely disseminated, then without any iota of doubt there will be a drastic reduction in fatal road accidents far from what we are currently experiencing.
Otherwise, our social media spaces will continue to be flooded with traumatic images and Rest In Peace condolence messages.
May Common Sense Prevail! Privileged
