SPEED: THE SILENT SIREN OF DEATH ON OUR ROADS

SPEED: THE SILENT SIREN OF DEATH ON OUR ROADS

By: Olusegun Ogungbemide, mni, FISPON, ANIPR

Corps Public Education Officer, FRSC

Against the backdrop of hard data and lived reality, the analytical record of road traffic crashes between January and October 2025—compared with the same period in 2024—tells a sobering story. Numbers may fluctuate, charts may rise and fall, but one frightening truth remains constant: nearly 85 percent of these crashes were speed-induced.

Behind every statistic is a human life abruptly interrupted—a journey cut short, a promise broken, a family forever altered. Speed may feel thrilling, even harmless, but on Nigerian roads it has become a silent siren, summoning tragedy with ruthless consistency.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has never been complacent about this threat. Time and again, the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, has warned that excessive speed remains the most lethal behaviour on our highways. He constantly reminds motorists that the road is not a racetrack and that arriving alive is the true measure of a successful trip.

As the nation embraces a new year with renewed resolve, the Corps Marshal’s message is unmistakable: FRSC envisions a crash-free Nigeria, but that future cannot be legislated into existence. It must be chosen—by every driver, rider, fleet operator, commuter, and pedestrian who uses the road.

At the heart of this crisis lies a deadly illusion—speeding. It compresses time, narrows options, and magnifies consequences. At high speed, reaction time disappears, braking distance expands, and minor errors become fatal decisions. Vehicles lose stability, tyres lose grip, and the human body—fragile by nature—faces forces it cannot survive. A minor collision at moderate speed becomes a devastating crash when velocity takes control. Speeding fuels dangerous overtaking, clouds judgment, and turns simple distractions into irreversible outcomes.

Beyond the twisted metal and shattered glass lies an economic wound that bleeds quietly. Speed-related crashes drain family savings through medical bills, vehicle repairs, and lost productivity. Employers suffer reduced output; the nation bears increased healthcare costs, emergency response burdens, and infrastructure damage. Every preventable crash diverts public resources that could build schools, strengthen hospitals, or improve road networks. Speed does not just take lives; it steals national progress.

Long after the sirens fade and the roads fall silent, the trauma remains. Survivors carry emotional scars—fear, anxiety, and memories they wish they could forget. Families wrestle with grief, guilt, and unanswered questions. Children grow up with empty chairs at the dinner table; parents age under the weight of loss; communities mourn talents, dreams, and futures cut short. No insurance policy can fully heal these invisible wounds.

When speed claims a life, families inherit burdens they did not choose—shattered plans, sudden responsibilities, and permanently altered destinies. Breadwinners vanish, caregivers are overwhelmed, and dreams are suspended. Society loses productive citizens; trust in road safety systems is shaken.

It is time, as a nation, to confront this menace head-on. Road traffic crashes are a global challenge—indeed, a crisis so severe that it inspired the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Blaming the system for every crash without addressing the real cause—dangerous human behavior—only deepens the problem. We must focus on the road user who chooses recklessness over responsibility.

Government efforts to build and maintain roads must never become an excuse for a death race. Enough of the needless deaths. Enough of the impunity. There must be consequences for every infraction, consequences strong enough to deter others. Instead of attacking institutions, let us jointly confront the behaviors that endanger us all.

As 2026 unfolds, the message is urgent and clear:

Slow down. Respect speed limits. Drive to arrive.

The FRSC can educate, enforce, and rescue—but true prevention begins with personal responsibility. A crash-free nation is not a slogan; it is a daily choice, a collective act of caution, care, and conscience.

On our roads, speed kills silently. Wisdom saves loudly. Let us choose wisely.