Lagos goes tough on erring motorists
MURITALA AYINLA
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday signed the much talked-about Lagos Road Traffic Bill into law.The major objective of the law is to curtail needless loss of lives arising from flagrant flouting of traffic laws by Lagos motorists.With the law, eating, drinking, counting money, making phone calls, texting, pinging or engaging in other dangerous activities while driving is now prohibited.
Any offender will be fined N20,000 and N30,000 subsequently.
The new law also bars trailers and heavy duty trucks from entering the state or travelling within the state’s metropolis between 6a.m. and 9p.m., while riding on certain roads and times have been outlawed for operators of the commercial motorcycle, tricycle, wheel-barrow and cart pushers. Operation of commercial motorcycle, also known as Okada, is outlawed in all roads on Lagos Island, Eti-Osa Local Government and other 443 routes in the state metropolis.
Contravention of any of these offences attracts three years imprisonment. Fashola said the aim of the law was to protect avoidable loss of lives owing to lackadaisical attitude of Nigerians to the traffic rules. He explained that that the thrust of the law was to address issues and factors affecting life expectancy through avoidable loss of lives resulting from road accidents. He said that the success of the law was not in the number of arrest made but for voluntary compliance with the traffic regulations by motorists.
Harping on the need to bring sanity to the traffic management in the state, Fashola likened the road to the resources that every government must manage with certain rules and regulations to enhance development. The governor noted that from January to July, 2012, 722 cases of road accidents involving 568 males and 154 females were recorded in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, while road accidents recorded at the Accident and Emergency Centre between same period was 252.
He said: “Out of this number, 568 were male and 154 were female. At the Accident and Emergency Centre at Toll Gate, 252 accidents were recorded from January to July out of which 35 persons died.“Fifty per cent of the victims were okada riders, 27 per cent were passengers on okada, while 23 per cent were passersby.
“Can we then pretend that we do not know about this and then we do not act? This is our response and we will hope it would bring success. We are all joined at the hip to reclaim our society back.
“We expect cooperation and we are recruiting lawyers from the private sector to prosecute cases and the state attorneygeneral will lead the prosecution counsel.”Speaking shortly before the governor signed the bill into law, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said the law was a review of earlier Road Traffic Law which was last amended in 2003.He explained that the review was necessary in view of the changing trend in the society, stressing that some of the provisions of the old law were still retained in the new law.
Ipaye noted that with the new law, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, officials could now use a drug detecting devices (breathalyzers) on motorists to check drug abuse.
The attorney-general said: “It is an offence to sell alcoholic drink, herbal or pharmaceutical drug within metres of a bus stop, terminus or motor park; to trade, hawk or vend or offer for sale any item of goods or services or to beg or solicit alms; and to engage in cleaning of windscreens or any part of vehicle on the highways.”
Ipaye added that it was now illegal for commercial vehicles to operate without obtaining licence from the state Ministry of Transportation, stressing that owners of unregistered vehicles risked forfeiture of such vehicles.The signing of the bill was witnessed by members of the state executive council, senior police officers, LASTMA officials, Nigerian Navy, VIOs, Nigerian Army and other law enforcement agencies.
MURITALA AYINLA
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday signed the much talked-about Lagos Road Traffic Bill into law.The major objective of the law is to curtail needless loss of lives arising from flagrant flouting of traffic laws by Lagos motorists.With the law, eating, drinking, counting money, making phone calls, texting, pinging or engaging in other dangerous activities while driving is now prohibited.
Any offender will be fined N20,000 and N30,000 subsequently.
The new law also bars trailers and heavy duty trucks from entering the state or travelling within the state’s metropolis between 6a.m. and 9p.m., while riding on certain roads and times have been outlawed for operators of the commercial motorcycle, tricycle, wheel-barrow and cart pushers. Operation of commercial motorcycle, also known as Okada, is outlawed in all roads on Lagos Island, Eti-Osa Local Government and other 443 routes in the state metropolis.
Contravention of any of these offences attracts three years imprisonment. Fashola said the aim of the law was to protect avoidable loss of lives owing to lackadaisical attitude of Nigerians to the traffic rules. He explained that that the thrust of the law was to address issues and factors affecting life expectancy through avoidable loss of lives resulting from road accidents. He said that the success of the law was not in the number of arrest made but for voluntary compliance with the traffic regulations by motorists.
Harping on the need to bring sanity to the traffic management in the state, Fashola likened the road to the resources that every government must manage with certain rules and regulations to enhance development. The governor noted that from January to July, 2012, 722 cases of road accidents involving 568 males and 154 females were recorded in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, while road accidents recorded at the Accident and Emergency Centre between same period was 252.
He said: “Out of this number, 568 were male and 154 were female. At the Accident and Emergency Centre at Toll Gate, 252 accidents were recorded from January to July out of which 35 persons died.“Fifty per cent of the victims were okada riders, 27 per cent were passengers on okada, while 23 per cent were passersby.
“Can we then pretend that we do not know about this and then we do not act? This is our response and we will hope it would bring success. We are all joined at the hip to reclaim our society back.
“We expect cooperation and we are recruiting lawyers from the private sector to prosecute cases and the state attorneygeneral will lead the prosecution counsel.”Speaking shortly before the governor signed the bill into law, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said the law was a review of earlier Road Traffic Law which was last amended in 2003.He explained that the review was necessary in view of the changing trend in the society, stressing that some of the provisions of the old law were still retained in the new law.
Ipaye noted that with the new law, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, officials could now use a drug detecting devices (breathalyzers) on motorists to check drug abuse.
The attorney-general said: “It is an offence to sell alcoholic drink, herbal or pharmaceutical drug within metres of a bus stop, terminus or motor park; to trade, hawk or vend or offer for sale any item of goods or services or to beg or solicit alms; and to engage in cleaning of windscreens or any part of vehicle on the highways.”
Ipaye added that it was now illegal for commercial vehicles to operate without obtaining licence from the state Ministry of Transportation, stressing that owners of unregistered vehicles risked forfeiture of such vehicles.The signing of the bill was witnessed by members of the state executive council, senior police officers, LASTMA officials, Nigerian Navy, VIOs, Nigerian Army and other law enforcement agencies.
No comments:
Post a Comment