By Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS—Following the increasing rate of fatal accidents involving trailers, tankers and other articulated vehicles on Lagos roads, truck drivers in the state have admitted recklessness on the part of some of their members as the cause of most of the accidents.

However, they attributed the major cause to bad roads in the country.

This came even as the state government has announced plans to hold quarterly seminars in collaboration with interested private sector for truck drivers and other articulated vehicles aimed at educating and inculcating road safety culture in them.

The truck drivers made the comments, weekend, at a seminar organised by the state Ministry of Transportation in conjunction with Chevron and a coalition of road safety non-governmental organisations, MRS, on road safety campaign entitled, Truck Safety: Time for Action.

One of the representatives of the truck drivers, who simply identified himself as Danmallam, confessed that most of them do take different stimulants to make them strong, stay awake and alert while on long distance journeys.

He added that some of the driver either abuse it or are not used to the stimulants, and so end up causing accidents.

Another truck driver, Alhaji Usman, while blaming government for not putting in place good road infrastructures, said poor visibility at night and in the early hours of the day, also contribute to road accidents.

Danmallam also said that the degraded state of roads across the country as the major cause of truck accidents as well as other road accidents.

According to him the roads are not well lit as there are no street lights along the streets and highways which make it difficult for drivers to see any object in front in good time.

The drivers while commending the initiative of the state government and Chevron for organizing such a seminar, called on relevant authorities, federal, states, councils to be alive to their responsibilities by making sure there is adequate and conscious efforts to protect lives and properties of their citizens by giving proper attention to maintenance of road infrastructure across the states of the federation.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation who represented the state government at the seminar lamented the loss of innocent lives who could contribute meaningfully to the development of the Nation, saying that most of the accidents involving trucks, trailers and articulated vehicles were caused as a result of rear and side impact on haulage trucks.

Opeifa, who gave some statistics concerning recent accidents in the state, added that accidents involving trucks has claimed a lot of lives who could not immediately see a slow moving truck or broken down truck at night or during rainfall and harmattan.

Opeifa revealed that out of total number of broken down vehicles from September 16 2007 to September 26, 2008 out of 135 cases recorded, truck recorded 82 cases while car and buses recorded 30 and 17 respectively.

However, as part of measure to reduce the rate of accidents involving trucks, tankers and articulated vehicles, Opeifa said the state government is fagging off safety campaign with the fixing of retro reflective tape on over 2000 trucks which are plying the Lagos roads.

He disclosed that measure is on_going by the state government to come up with law backing up the use of retro reflective tape on all vehicle in the state, this he said will make the trucks to be reflective at any time of the day thereby reducing accidents caused by poor visibility.