Some are still counting and recalling losses suffered through road crashes from past ‘ember months’.
Many will never see loved ones who gruesomely passed away from some of these ghastly crashes that occurred during the months characterising the ember months, while some may never recover from the carnages that resulted from the devastating occurrences.
Nigeria has the awful distinction of being tagged the world capital of poverty, with 71 million people living in extreme poverty today (World Poverty Clock, 2023) and a total of 133 million people classed as multi-dimensionally poor according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
A research paper showed financial stress is positively associated with depression. A positive association between financial stress and depression is found amongst low income people and mostly in low-and middle-income countries, but is generally stronger among populations with low income or wealth.
The above data aptly describes the state of a majority of Nigerians who are daily inundated with the skyrocketing costs of food items, electricity, cooking gas, petrol, transport costs, cost of rents, school fees and depreciating value of naira.
According to Dr. Laide Iretiola, Senior Partner at Moscow Medics, Ijesha, Lagos, “Accidents do not just happen, they are caused. In other words, every accident in relation to transport is not just a mere occurrence but has been instituted as a result of one factor or the other. Depression is a form of mood disorder that can be caused by financial stress or poverty, resulting in the feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or misery and a loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities
“It can be associated with suicidal thoughts or self-blame, and can interfere with an individual’s ability to perform routine daily functions, especially safe driving.
“The economy of the country is a major factor. There is poverty in the land and this has caused a lot of people to be confused about life.”
Adding, “Society is also not helping with the many pressures on every side. Many youths are under so much pressure to make money quickly.
“An increasing body of research confirms that individuals experiencing depression are at High risk of crashing their vehicles while driving. Persons with financial challenges are likely to have diminished cognitive abilities, inability to concentrate, and slowed reaction time to respond to sudden occurrence when driving.” Ireti said.
A recent study has identified rates of road accidents and violations in drivers with depression, accounts for about 8.6% of the causes of road crashes.
Someone who is struggling with depression may be more likely to cause a motor vehicle collision for a variety of different reasons. Depression can play a role in motor vehicle collisions and draw attention to the importance of staying off the road if anything may affect your ability to drive.
A driver may be depressed for any number of reasons, whether they recently went through divorce, loss of job, business failure as it is becoming rampant, indebtedness or other financial problems.
Financial induced depression, according Dr. Femi Oketola of the same Medical Centre, “can interfere with sleep schedules, leading to drowsy driving. Moreover, it may cause someone to abuse alcohol or drugs, which could result in intoxicated driving.
“A depressed driver may be less likely to stay alert while behind the wheel and some may feel as if they do not even care if they are involved in an auto accident, which can be an extremely dangerous level of depression a driver may experience while driving. “
Drink Driving
According to statistical findings in 2018, drink driving accidents are the cause of many deaths and injuries to Nigerians.
Dr. Oketola said: “owing to the growing economic crisis affecting most families and businesses in Nigeria, there is likelihood for people to indulge more in drunkenness and the use of substances as an escapist means from financial issues and this fact has been empirically proven from recent research reports, showing a dramatic increase in brothels, hotels, lounges and increased sales of alcoholic drinks , especially strong liquor in the country..
“Despite the overwhelming evidence of high levels of alcohol consumption among the driving population in Nigeria, there has been little effort by the Federal Government of Nigeria to regulate and introduce policy to control drink driving in the country.
“In Nigeria, there are few laws that restrict or regulate alcohol purchasing or consumption at the federal, state or local government level, especially at motor parks or vehicle loading points.
“The social and economic impact of drunk driving in Nigeria is difficult to gauge with any precision because of the dearth of relevant studies concerning the problem.
“What is known for certain is that trauma from road traffic accidents is on the increase in Nigeria today.” He said.
The prevalence, severity and impact of drunk driving is considerably higher in Nigeria than in other African and Euro-American countries, therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that alcohol-related traffic accidents represent a very real threat to the social and economic progress of Nigeria today.
The motoring public has differing opinions on what is safe in terms of alcohol consumption and driving – despite a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) law of 0.05mg.
In the United Kingdom, the alcohol legal limit for any driver is 80mg per 100 milliliters of blood. Anything above this limit carries a serious penalty. An offence of careless driving in the UK carries a maximum penalty of two thousand five hundred pounds sterling.
A Breathalyzer is a simple machine or devise used to measure the amount of alcohol in the breath of a driver. Where a driver declines a breathalyzer test, a blood sample might be taken and analysed in a laboratory.
This is a very simple technology which Nigeria can deploy, especially in the ember months and beyond. Unless somebody can find a way to change the nature of careless and drunk driving in Nigeria, we will have more crises.
Careless and drunk driving can cause accidents. Accidents devastate lives and can cause deaths. Deaths are losses to the nation and our various families. Therefore a stitch in time saves nine and prevention is better than cure.
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