I remember when the Black berry phones just came to Nigeria, (and in present times), the alert sound when a ping/message came in was very distracting. The phone seems to always demand the owner’s attention and this includes when a person is driving.
Most young Nigerians have admitted that they text/ping while driving, they find it difficult to not multitask while they are behind the wheel. In a survey carried out, more than 80 percent of people admitted that they talk on handheld mobiles while driving while 40 percent between the age of 16 and 30 said they text too.
They blamed it on the social pressure by others to always be available at all times. A lot of people have been involved in fatal car accidents as a result of someone ‘texting’ while driving ad this led to stricter road safety laws. Barrages of reactions have trailed the recent move by the Federal Road Safety Corps to jail drivers who indulge in ‘texting’, phoning or even pinging behind the wheels.
The Managing Director/CEO UBA Foundation, IjeomaAso, said most road accidents have been traced to this dangerous habit.
‘’That 5 seconds distraction caused by texting could result in very fatal consequences. Nigerian drivers, please don’t text and drive. Tell your friends and people around you again and help to spread the message’’
What can be done. If you really have to place those calls, pack the vehicle and place the call if it is ‘that’ urgent. If not, THAT CALL/PING/TEXT CAN WAIT! Let’s put our safety and that of others first. Studies have shown that using hand-free phones in the car is equally as distracting as using mobile phones as you still need to take your eyes off the road.
Drive safely weekend people… What do you think of the recent laws made by the Road Safety Commission against mobile phone usage while driving?
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