In his regular column for YOURS, Brian draws upon his experiences across Africa and gives us his unique perspective on road safety issues in the African region. In his final article of the year, he writes about his recent experience for his visit in Benin and reflects upon some good and bad road safety practises as well as his safety tips for the holiday period.
Hello every one!!! Merry Christmas and happy New Year! I wish I could give everyone a Christmas and a happy New Year’s card! Every one say, ‘Thank you!’ Greetings from Porto Novo, Benin! Wait, now you must be wondering what I am doing in Benin, but yeah…I didn’t come here to conduct a coup on the current Benin government- I can explain. As you may be aware, YOURS conducted the first ever African Youth Assembly on Road Safety in Niamey-Niger, October 2011 yes? Right, that platform marked a generation of road safety ambassadors (including myself) in my continent-Africa!
Brian talks about his experience in Benin
Now, you are also aware of something called the ‘African Union’ yes? Well, it’s an umbrella of all African countries united by the word ‘Pan Africanism’ I will discuss with you more about this if you invite me over Christmas. The point is, I am part of the African Union Youth Volunteers who from 9th-22nd December 2012 are undergoing an intensive course in African leadership, volunteerism and staying safe. We are live in Songhai-a very historic and cultural site…please consult my other half, Madam Google for details. I thank you!
So, I touched down Cotonou Airport in Benin at 11:30am on 9th Dec and oh, boy…the temperatures…It must have been around 38 degrees! I hurried myself into a taxi, put on my seatbelt, upon which I yelled (not really) to the driver ‘Your seatbelt Monsieur Sil vous plait’ (considering my inefficient French) before we started our way to Porto-Novo town which is just 25km from Cotonou airport.
Listen carefully; I was left in a state of ‘Wao’ when I saw that motorcyclists and pedestrians had different routes from the cars, Lorries along the highway! Yesssssss!!!!! This is not a joke! ‘This is Impossible’, I could hear myself saying. I’ve never, never, NEVER, NEVER seen something like this in any of the African Countries I’ve visited! It was really amazing to see a 25km long road with a separate highway for motorcyclists! I almost felt like summoning all presidents of my continent for a ‘learning experience’ before I realized that I am not the Secretary General of Africa or the UN in this case! At least, not yet!
Benin champions separate lanes exclusively for the motorcycles.
3 days ago, my friends and I headed out to have a look around Porto Novo town. Everything seemed interesting until I realized that Motorbikes here are sold like a cigarettes in a shop. You have the money? You pay now. You go away. You start riding! There is no period for certification or registration of the motorcycle. In fact, there is NO registration numbers on all the motorbikes I saw that very day! That’s not interesting no? How about this: – selling petrol on the streets in transparent-like glass…and WHAT?!…I have seen some men smoking around those zones! As usual, I don’t sit and start speculating, so to gather some evidence, I jogged to the police who were doing amazing work of controlling and directing traffic (which to me, is the work of traffic lights).
Petrol being sold on the streets in Benin in a very unstable and dangrerous format – a scary experience when people were smoking near by!
‘The government tried registering these motorbikes, but we had too many coming from the neighboring countries. The system fell and we no longer register them. We are encouraging people to buy cars instead’, said one of the traffic police officers. Now, that’s kind of interesting because it means, the government doesn’t have an idea of how many motorbikes are in the country. There was no need of inquiring whether the motorbike riders were certified officially as well as investigating why they don’t put on helmets.
Road traffic crashes continue to claim lives in Benin with at least 3 crashes being registered in Porto Novo alone every day. That’s very scary considering Doctor Santi and Mademoiselle Christmas are coming in town! Needless to mention, young people are at the heart of the negative outcomes of these crashes!
The influx of motorcycles in Benin has left them unregulated and unlicensed
While the New Year will come along with her own challenges, the road safety situation in Benin continues to be jaw dropping and our governments need to style up. It is important that we know how many motorcycles are on our roads with correct licensing, to ensure adequate access to high quality helmets and ensure motorcyclists are tested on their ability to ride before they do so. While there may be a motorway for motorcyclists, even more can be done to make sure road users are safer such as providing safer pedestrian routes free from all motorized vehicles!
Meanwhile, as we get set for Christmas and the New Year’s celebrations Just don’t do something I wouldn’t do, here are my safety tips for the holiday period:
- Don’t drink and drive!
- Don’t speed (its even more dangerous if conditions are icy, wet etc.)
- Don’t forget to use your helmet & seatbelt!
- Be visible at all times , especially in dark areas as a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist etc.
- Don’t forget to check your car before you set off for the road and ensure its in good working order!
- Take breaks after 2 hours drive and never drive tired!
- Install first aid boxes in your car!
Don’t eat too much during Christmas and the New Year! STAY ALIVE! STAY SAFE! See you next year! Inshallah!!!!