TRACE Moves To Enhance Use Of Zebra Crossing, Driving Culture
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By AYENI OLALEKAN – The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) has admonished the motorists to cultivate the culture of adhering strictly to zebra crossing and other informative road signages while behind the wheel to guarantee safety of pedestrians on the roads.
The agency’s Corps Commander/Chief Executive Officer, Cdr Abdulfatai Olaseni Ogunyemi, who was ably represented by Ogun West Area Commander, Cdr Adekunle Ariyo Ajibade, while inspecting zebra crossing and children crossing road sign provided by Ijoko Divisional Command of the agency to Sango High School in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
Cdr Ogunyemi, who always passionate about safety on the road, bemoaned the absence of knowledge, skill and behavioral training amongst drivers, noting that the fact that no driver thought it right to stop for pedestrians while on the zebra crossing is a sad pointer to the mindset of an average driver in Nigeria.
According to the traffic management expert, zebra crossing is an aid to pedestrians who often need to cross any busy roads, while motorist is expected to decelerate and stop for pedestrian once he steps on the zebra crossing.
“All the agency’s commands have mandated to embark on road safety informative and educative projects that would further ensuring safer road. This initiative has become imperative because some pedestrians especially the school children are seeing standing on zebra crossings for several minutes without any driver paying attention to them. This also contributed greatly to the high level of road crashes involving school children,” Cdr Ogunyemi, added.
He said the nation’s driving culture needs a major overhaul, thereby pledging the agency’s continuous involvement in engaging both public and private sectors led initiative to further enhance driving culture in the state.
Ijoko Divisional Commander, Cdr Ariyo Aduroja, while speaking at the school, said the project was borne out of the Corps Commander’s initiative and aimed at providing adequate knowledge of crossing the road to both the teachers and students.
She said if students were educated to caution other road users, the rate of such crashes would be reduced to the barest minimum.
He urged the teachers to always guide the children on how to cross the road with the use of zebra crossing, while also admonishing the motorists to ensure full stoppage for the children whenever they are on zebra crossing.
