Road crash and importance of speed limiting device

All over the world and Nigeria, over speeding has been identified as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from crashes.

The impact and consequences of what over speeding has done to many road users especially in Nigeria where the driving habits of many drivers has become a major concern to both government at various levels and traffic management authorities.

Over-speeding increases driver’s response time to objects and increases risk of collision. Reduces the driver’s ability to steer safely and around curves and objects on the roads and extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle. When a driver is over speeding, it increases the distance a vehicle travels while he reacts to a dangerous situation.

Now let us get an idea of what a Speed Limiting Device is all about. Speed limiting device also called speed limiter or governor is used to limit the top speed of a vehicle by not allowing the vehicle to accelerate beyond pre-set speed limit.

Social-economic advantages of policy implementation. Lower speed results in less fuel consumption by vehicles, cuts down vehicle maintenance cost and slows down depreciation value thus vehicle last longer. It will significantly impact positively in changing the individual driving behaviour which has been hard to achieve over the years.

Speed governor as the technology is also referred helps reduce the speed of vehicle to pre-set limit thus reducing overall crash risk and likely to lessen severity of crash. It will equally engender good monitoring mechanism for vehicle owners’ and fleet operators.

It will engender compliance with the ECOWAS mandate, fulfilment of the FRSC’s statutory functions through good practice, even as it assists to eliminate losses associated with speed related crashes. These losses are usually in vehicles loss, damage to roads and road infrastructure, house, goods etc.

Furthermore, it will assist to preserve the young virile members of the society from deaths and maiming associated with speed induced crashes. It enables more relaxed driving and lower insurance premium as consequence of fewer crashes.

Traditionally, the most widely used strategies to mitigate drivers’ speed behaviour is through education, training and re-training, engineering (by providing speed limiting signs and of speed calming measures in the design and construction of highways, introduction of speed radar guns and enforcement.

Due largely to their unimpressive effectiveness, direct control of the vehicle speed becomes a better approach. It has been established that lower speed variance can be linked to fewer crashes and compliance with speed limits reduces the chances of vehicles getting involved in frequency of crashes and severity of bodily injuries.

By simple understanding, excess speed is defined as exceeding the approved speed limits. Inappropriate speed is defined as driving at a speed unsuitable for the prevailing road and traffic conditions.

Policy initiative and mandate. The regulation on compulsory use of speed limiting device on vehicles in Nigeria has been in the FRSC Establishment Act and the National Road Traffic Regulation since 2004 and retained in the subsequent amendments as show below:

National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR, B173 – B303,) 2004. Part VII – Use and Construction, Section 53, Subsection (6) “All motor vehicles plying the highway shall be in possession of good electric or air horn, jack, wheel spanner, tools, fire extinguisher, inflated spare tyre, first aid box, emergency warning triangles or cones, laminated windscreen and mirror, speed governor, wipers, insurance certificate and road worthiness certificate.” Note- A speed governor is also called a speed limiting device.

 Part VIII – Driving, Section 79, Sub-section (a) ”A person driving or in control of a motor vehicle on any highway shall- Not drive at a speed exceeding 50km/hr in any town, village, residential or industrial area, as illustrated in Schedule 8 or may be shown on speed sign along the road”.

Part XI- Special provision relating to expressway, Section 99- ”The minimum speed of any motor vehicle shall be 45km/hr and maximum speed 100km/hr, except where otherwise indicted by a sign as prescribed in Section 9 of these Regulation”. Note- the speed limits are actually prescribed in Section 8 in details and not Section 9.

MIKE OCHONMA