Mr Jide Owatunmise of the Professional Driving and Safety Academy, in the piece below shares his perspectives on stemming the disturbing number of fuel tanker crashes on Nigerian Roads,.
Sometimes around 2006 during the tenure of Senator Gbenga Daniel as the Executive Governor of Ogun State, a fully loaded fuel Tanker fell near Shagamu Junction and fire erupted instantly, resulting in the death of over 60 people who were burnt beyond recognition. Many vehicles also got burnt. The grave for the mass burial of the Victims is still at Shahamu junction till today.
The incident happened when the Tanker Driver saw a pothole ahead. He swerved to the left side of the road to avoid the pothole but by the time he turned the steering to the right to continue his movement on the straight road, he lost control because there was a weight or load shift to the left as he tried to return the direction of the fuel Tanker to the right. In a nutshell, centrifugal force overpowered the Tanker, leading to that sad disaster.
There have been similar incidents before and after, particularly the recent incidents in Onitsha, Dikko, and Enugu. A lot of blames have been passed to the people scooping fuel when the tankers fell. This is necessary to significantly reduce the fatalities. However, more importantly, we need to focus much more attention on the Causes and Prevention of Tanker falls. Without falls, there can be no spillage and if there is no spillage, there can be no scooping. Below are the areas that require urgent attentions and actions to prevent the fall of Tankers and other Articulated vehicles:
EDUCATION
Research revealed that over 80 per cent of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles in Nigeria did not attend specialised Driving Schools to attend the Mandatory Theory and Practical Training sessions. Over 80 per cent of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles do not know all the Road Traffic Signs, Road Markings, Regulations and the Road rules guiding the safe transportation of hazardous goods such as flammable Fuel.
Over 90 per cent of the Drivers of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles do not understand all the forces that operate on the Articulated vehicles in motion, particularly, Kinetic Energy, Centrifugal Force and Inertia which are the principal factors responsible for the fall and crash of most of the Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles.
The Drivers must understand the height, weight, width and length of the vehicle, the distance needed to overtake, the control needed when going downhill, power needed to climb uphill to overcome the force of Inertia, the need to avoid any sudden changed of speed or direction (kinetic Energy and Centrifugal force respectively).
ATTITUDE
Majority of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles know little or nothing about personal energy level management which determines their mental and physical fitness for safe driving. Most of these Drivers lack the right attitudes for safe vehicle handling and road sharing. Some of the attitudes they display on the road are Drug Addiction, Aggressive driving, Tailgating, Overspeeding or Unsafe speed, Intimidation, and Retaliation among other negative attitudes.
VEHICLE DYNAMICS
As I earlier mentioned in this article, over 90 percent of Retrievers do not know the forces that operate on their vehicles when they are in motion. These forces are the main factors that usually cause the falls and crashes of Articulated vehicles and other trucks. Every Driver of Fuel Tankers and other Trucks must have deep understanding of the following: the Driving Forces, Friction/Traction, Jack-kniffing, Trailer swinging/tailswinging, Gravity, Vehicle Characteristics, Vehicle Limits, Load Restraints, etc.
BRAKING SYSTEM AND BRAKE MANAGEMENT
The Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles must deeply understand how the brakes of their vehicles functions, the braking and stopping distance, mathematics of speed in relation to braking, Brake fade and brake failure, Tyre quality and management. Sudden or violent acceleration, braking or steering can cause severe loss of control. All maneuvering must be carried out smoothly and in good time.
WEAK REGULATION AND ENFORCEMENT
Haulage is not a business that anyone can just wake up and enter into without fulfilling some requirements that will enhance the safety of their operations on the roads. A person can buy a Tanker or other Articulated vehicle today and put it on the road tomorrow without fulfilling and requirement concerning the Owner, Vehicle, Driver, Driver Assistant and other Health, Safety and Environment rules. Some of the Drivers are underage, most of the Truck Drivers are not keeping and updating the Driver's Diary to prevent fatigue. Many of these Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles were reconstructed thereby carry more loads than the vehicle Manufacturers designed them for. Many of the vehicles are not roadworthy, moving with substandard and bad tyres. Most of the trucks do speed more than the safe level on all types of roads with impunity. Many of the Drivers and their Assistants have no valid Driver's Licence. All these anomalies are common among most of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles and no Government Agency is actively working to curb these and allied shortcomings or wrongdoings.
In the United Kingdom and Australia among several other Countries, Periodic Truck Inspections and Regular annual Assessment and Training of Truck Drivers and their Assistants by specialised Driving Instructors are taken seriously and this has helped these Countries to significantly prevent the fall and crash of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles on their roads.
Truck driving is a serious task that serious attention must be paid to by the Drivers, the Employers of the Drivers, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Driving School Association, the Institute of Driving Instructors of Nigeria, and other Stakeholders and more importantly, the Presidency to prevent further loss of lives and valuable properties in Nigeria.
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