Lagos – Road transport unions in Lagos on Sunday cautioned their members against reckless driving and disregard for traffic laws before, during and after the Yuletide to prevent accidents.
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) gave the warning in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
They warned rivers to shun speeding and urged commuters to always warn drivers against reckless driving on the roads.
They said that lives and properties of their members and commuters were more precious to the unions and the nation.
The Lagos State Chairman of NURTW, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, told NAN that drivers, commuters and traffic agents should work together to prevent accidents.
Agbede, who is also the National Financial Secretary of union said, “It is only the living that has dreams and hopes.
“We should not kill ourselves and others because of carelessness on the roads.
“Our drivers must not be reckless behind the wheels and commuters must also caution drivers whenever they observed that drivers were becoming reckless on the roads for the benefit of all.
“Safety is number one in our job. We can stop all preventable human and material losses on our roads from Lagos to Abuja to far North and East.
“It is the union’s responsibility to sensitise its members on the need to shun reckless driving, obey traffic laws and traffic wardens in order to prevent motor accidents, “ he said.
Agbede, who also urged members to be patient on the road, cautioned against driving under the influence of alcohol.
The NURTW boss urged the three tiers of government to improve on road infrastructure for the safety of the citizens.
Also speaking, Alhaji Musa Muhammed, the Lagos State Chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), said that reckless driving was inimical to the nation’s economic prosperity.
Muhammed urged members of RTEAN to respect other road users and ensure that they had valid documents to avoid unpleasant encounters with the law enforcement agents.
“Our members, even all the road users, must be careful while driving, especially during this Yuletide, to as not to endanger the lives of other road users.
“We should shun hard drugs and all tendencies to be in a haste or trying to intimidate and out-perform other road users without regard to the safety of other drivers,“ he said.
The RTEAN boss, who urged members to respect all traffic regulations and traffic agents, said that all traffic agents must be committed to their duties.
He appealed to the members of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to be more visible on the roads and do more sensitisation on road safety.
The union leader urged the Federal Government to put an end to the lingering fuel scarcity to end the hardship the commuters and motorists were facing at present. (NAN)
