The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has often campaigned against lane indiscipline in its bid to bring sanity onto Nigerian roads.
Lane indiscipline is a trend in driving where a driver shuttles in between lanes in a manner that could cause confusion on the road.
Road lanes vary from single to multiple lanes – sometimes up to 10 or more lanes.
While on the road, a driver is expected to drive in-between the lanes by positioning the vehicle in the middle of his or her lane.
This ensures that there is adequate spacing between two or more vehicles in motion. It improves the safety of all road users.
But experience among Nigerian drivers has shown that the lane discipline is observed in abeyance thereby causing confusion on the road.
Transportation experts believe one of the major causes of gridlock on Nigerian roads is the refusal of drivers to maintain their lane.
For instance, in Lagos, drivers cross from one lane to another without restraint thereby contributing to traffic gridlock.
A driver would even ignore road signs telling him he was not supposed to be on that lane and end up blocking vehicles meant for that lane.
Patrick Adenusi, an auto analyst and safe driving advocate, said 250,000 vehicles are caught in avoidable traffic daily resorting to loss of man-hours.
He said traffic authorities must be strict in enforcing lane discipline to restore sanity on Nigerian roads and highways and ultimately safeguard the lives of road users.
And the message is “maintain your lane.”
