Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos State, Ladi Lawanson

The Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos State, has reiterating that the State government remains committed to the safety of lives and property of the commuting public while emphasising that the continuous training and retraining of drivers will ensure the safety and wellbeing of all categories of road users.

Lawanson disclosed this at a one-day workshop organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, in collaboration with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, themed: “Promoting Road Safety In A Smart City Through Continuous Driver Education”.

The workshop which is an additional strategic step towards achieving the goal of the UN Decade of Action that seeks to reduce the rate of fatalities and crashes on roads all over the world, Lawanson said was organised by the State government as part of efforts to provide a platform to sensitise and educate all stakeholders on strategies and techniques needed for safe driving, while keeping them abreast of policies of the government regarding transportation.

The Commissioner enumerated some of the measures already put in place by the Ministry as including road safety campaigns carried out by the Ministry’s Vehicle Inspection Service at various motor parks and garages as well as the creation of the Lagos State Traffic Radio to help monitor gridlocks and guide motorists.

Lawanson averred that the Lagos State Drivers Institute, LASDRI, was established for the sole purpose of retraining and educating drivers on the dos and don’ts of driving using modern and requisite facilities for eye testing, computerised driving simulators, biometric data capture and database equipment among others.

He expressed hope that at the end of the training session, participants would have been equipped with adequate knowledge to change their perspective on road safety culture.

On his part, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi lauded the State Ministry for its remarkable efforts and outstanding contributions towards improving the transportation sector in the country, adding that Lagos plays a major role in the development of traffic management solutions in the country.

Oyeyemi promised that the Commission will retain its relationship with the Ministry of Transportation in the provision of traffic-related solutions in the country.

While acknowledging that though the State is challenged by the steady increase in population and the resultant traffic congestion, he said focusing on driver’s responsibility, training and enlightenment, health and compliance with traffic rules and regulations will aid the State government’s persistent efforts in building a smart city.

In his remarks, the Director, Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), Engineer Gbolahan Toriola stated that the government has worked hard at providing adequate infrastructure for the residents of the State to ensure ease of movement.

He maintained that the VIS will continuously hold its safety campaigns to ensure road users voluntarily comply with traffic rules and regulations in the State.

The General Manager, Lagos State Drivers’ Institute (LASDRI), Mr. Femi Ogunlade also encouraged participants to enroll themselves and their fleet of operators at any of the Institute’s branches across the State while assuring them that the Agency is well equipped with enough relevant and modern equipment to train interested drivers.

Also present at the workshop, was the Director-General Lagos State Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Muda Yusuf, who laid emphasis on the workshop’s theme and solicited that driver awareness and skill upgrade be treated with urgency as statistics have shown that 80 per cent of the accidents on roads are caused by the negative attitude of drivers.

Mr. Patrick Adenusi, the representative of a non-governmental organization, Safety Beyond Borders, urged the government to appropriately mark all major roads and install appropriate road furniture that does not mislead the motorists while appealing to road users to cooperate with the government on improving road behaviour.