Why road accidents reduced in Isolo – Driving Instructor
By Damilola Kushimo
While it is perceived that road accident has conspicuously reduced on major roads in Isolo Local Council Development Area, a driving instructor, Mr. Simeon Ikemhe has established that the effectiveness of driving schools is key to the achievement and sustenance of the feat in the locality.
Speaking with ECHONEWS, Ikemhe, an instructor at Peculiar Driving School, Isolo, boasted that the effectiveness of driving schools in Isolo has been germane to the perceived decrease in road accidents and casualties in Isolo community.
According to him, “In recent years, road accidents in the locality has steadily been on the downward spiral and we’ve been able to achieve and sustain this with the qualitative and effective driving education we give to learners. Between last year and this year, so far, there has been about 70 per cent decrease in road accident. A colleague of mine who works with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) attested to the fact that they have had little to do with the case of road accident for the year and I believe this is as a result of the driving education we give to learners.”
Speaking further on how this has been achieved, he said: “Driving lessons go beyond the practical aspect. Firstly, we will expose the learner to the essential basics of driving, the regulatory signs otherwise known as highway codes before expatiating on their usefulness. We don’t just put them on the practical aspect.
“After this we will also relate to them the usefulness of all that is in a vehicle, the gear, the brake and such-likes, we will expose them to the mechanics of a car after which we put them to test, not on the main road though, just a casual car parade. The ability of a learner to effectively utilize the theoretical knowledge is usually the yardstick of how soon we will expose them to the busy road in order to know how they can flow with traffic.”
“The effectiveness of this slow and steady training which could be completed in two weeks or more has greatly helped in reducing vehicular road accidents in recent years. On average we train four to five persons on daily basis.”
Ikemhe established that government through the FRSC has also helped in achieving this feat through monthly training organised for the instructors termed ‘Train the trainers’ but reiterated that good road network remains the traffic bane in Isolo, charging the governments at the state and local council levels to look into the situation.
He also warned the FRSC to desist from issuing Driver’s License to those who are not certified by a registered Driving School for completion of driving training, noting that some people went through back door to secure the license with undergoing real driving training.
