Following incessant fatal accidents involving articulated vehicles -mostly trailers and tankers- many Lagos residents are calling for these trucks to be off the roads in the day time.

Two accidents within Lagos Metropolis last week claimed 15 lives, including a man and his expectant wife and left many vehicles burnt.

The accidents occurred opposite the MKO Abiola Gardens, Alausa, Ikeja on December 1 and at Fin Niger Bus Stop, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, less than 24 hours later.

While the December 1 accident involved a lone commercial bus, the other involved a petrol tanker that caught fire and set eight other vehicles and their occupants ablaze.

Many petrol tanker-related accidents in the Lagos area had earlier in 2010 left scores of people burnt beyond recognition.

Some Lagos residents, yesterday, told newsmen that restricting the movement of heavy duty vehicles to the nigh time would help reduce the carnage.

Lagosians speak:

Mrs Abosede Balogun, a civil servant said that for safety reasons, such heavy duty trucks were not supposed to move on the same route with smaller vehicles.

She said: “I was nearly a victim last week at Palmgrove, along Ikorodu road, when a fuel tanker spilled its content on the highway,” adding that restricting their movement would go a long way in halting the ugly trend.

On his part, Mr. Joseph Ohiafi, another civil servant, observed that the lives of road users would continue to be at risk except the government took a drastic step by restricting the articulated vehicles.

He said: “I am not saying they (trucks)  should be banned totally from the roads, but rather should be restricted to a particular time when the roads are less busy.

“The trucks are still working for the benefit of the society because the fuel and other products they convey are for the benefit of all.”

However, Mr. Obinna Ojukwu, a businessman, said: “The government should create an alternative route for the trucks because of the hazard they constitute on the road for other road users.”

Mrs Rosaline Oboh, a businesswoman, blamed the reckless driving habits of the truck drivers for the incessant accidents and heavy loss of lives and property.

According to her, lack of patience on the part of the drivers is often the cause of the accidents.