Road Safety
On Saturday April 11, 2026, the Federal Road Safety Corps, conscripted me for a valuable, precious and timeless assignment. It was not a rescue of road traffic victims. Neither was it a training on how to coordinate awareness campaigns in pidgin English, nor was it a special intervention patrol to checkmate the growing insanity among some drivers in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory whose penchant for traffic light violation has significantly risen.
This assignment was special by all ramifications. It was to join the Corps Marshal as Special Guest and other distinguished members of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru (AANI) alongside my other colleagues for institutional support. The event was an awareness walk in commemoration of the 46th Annual General Meeting of the Association.
The theme was State Police and Community Policing: Challenges, Options and Opportunities. The walk was therefore, to sensitize the public and stimulate informed discourse on national security and governance. The venue was the Old Parade Ground at Area 10, Garki, Abuja. Time call was 0700hours.
Conscious of the need to be prompt, I set out as early as 0600hrs to be counted among the early birds. Being a Saturday, traffic was light with fewer cars on the road. I drove through Jabi Life-camp and was signaled by the traffic light at the Minister’s junction, Life-Camp. I stopped and peeped through my rear mirror to see that the car following me was a familiar vehicle.
It was an SUV from a company whose safety profile, a lot of my colleagues in the Federal Road Safety Corps and I can vouch for. With a gentle smiled, I nodded in acknowledgement of the driver’s compliance at that time of the day in a city where traffic light disobedience has reached a frightening crescendo.
The list of defaulters is without exception; private and commercial and uniform personnel. Among the list also are government official vehicle drivers who drive in company of their principal with an ‘immuned’ mentality, disregarding President Bola Tinubu’s directive to cut down long retinue of convoys, as part of broader cost-cutting measures in October,2024.
As soon as the traffic light signaled us to go, I slowly moved, still observing the driver who overtook me immediately after the Kado-life-camp roundabout. However, I was able to catch up with the vehicle at the traffic light by the Central Mosque where we were again signaled to stop for the second time and indeed, he stopped again. I took the small window provided by the traffic light to capture the SUV belonging to Julius Berger before we were again signaled to move.
For the records, this piece is not a marketing piece on Julius Berger as a Company but to acknowledge their safety profile which the driver displayed. As Sector Commander of the FRSC, in charge of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Federal FCT Command some years back, I had the honor to work with the Company.
It was at the time when the Corps was pushing for the implementation of the compulsory use of retroreflective tapes, especially for trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. As the Sheriff in the FCT, I was given a marching order by former Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi who was then in charge of operations.
My call to the to the Management and request to give a safety call was approved immediately. I recall meeting with the management of the company where I gave a safety talk on the value and significance of compliance in keeping with their safety profile. The management without hesitation directed for full compliance and I can testify that they immediately breast the tape among construction companies that complied with the Corps directives on the use of this conspicuous material that has the potential of saving lives
For those who may have forgotten its value, the tapes are high visibility materials that significantly enhance the detection of vehicles in low-light environments by reflecting light directly back to its source. This ‘’retro’’ property ensures that a driver sees the material as brilliantly illuminated when their own light source like headlights hits it, providing critical extra time to react to hazards.
Unlike standard reflective materials that scatter light in many directions, retroreflective technology uses microscopic structures to focus and return the beam. The primary safety value of the tape is the reduction of road traffic crashes through increased visibility distance and decreased reaction time.
Available reports on its implementations on fleets and articulated vehicles have shown minor night time collision reduction up to 60 percent in developed climes. It increases reaction time, like I said earlier as drivers encounter shorter ‘perception-reaction times’ when following vehicles with retroreflective markings, giving them more room to brake safely.
It also allows observers to distinguish human figures from static objects at night which is vital in night time driving that still remains the past time of most drivers and commuters even in the face of the safety and security challenges. Surprisingly, most fleet operators who ideally should lead in embracing best practices, have since slept off in the implementation of this life saving tape.
The tape is highly recommended by the United Nations who mandate the use through international safety regulations and conventions to prevent road traffic crashes in both road and maritime environments. In fact UN Regulations No.104 defines the technical performance requirements for retroreflective tapes, including their brightness(reflectivity), colour, and durability.
Similarly, UN Regulations .48 mandates that certain heavy and long vehicles specifically goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes and trailers over 3.5 tonnes must be fitted with these markings to clearly outline their shape. These markings must carry an ‘’E-mark’’ to prove they meet UN standards for reflective light up to 1000 meters away.
Recently, the UN Regulation No.104 was consolidated into the broader UN Regulation No 150 and now governs all retroreflective devices for power-driven vehicles. For those who may not be aware, the UN road safety initiatives, advocate for retroreflective markings as a low cost, high impact tool to reduce nighttime collisions and protect vulnerable road users.
I do hope that Julius Berger Nigeria sustains its profile in promoting safety first while hoping that other fleet operators do same as their silent role in promoting visibility and cutting down collisions especially at night, as well as during poor visibility weather. I charge them all to remember a popular safety message from the stable of JBN, operate as if your family members are in the other vehicle.
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