Background

In 1988, the high rate of car crashes on Nigerian roads informed the World Bank’s classification of Nigeria as the worst country in the world, only after Ethiopia, in which to drive a motor vehicle. With reforms, however, Nigeria has shed the classification. The World Bank itself recently declared the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), through which the reforms have been largely carried out, as the best example of a lead agency in Africa, while recommending that other developing countries emulate Nigeria’s experience as a model for improving their country’s road safety profile.

Past Reform and Achievements

The FRSC has carried out various reforms. A biometrics driver’s licence was launched in 2010 to make multiple possession of driver licences impossible for any single driver, and to ensure that fresh applicants for driver licences undergo oral and practical examinations, while being sponsored by a certified driving school. The FRSC incorporated modern technology to be capable of tracking in real-time the location of all its operational vehicles which include patrol vehicles, tow trucks, and ambulances, and to also communicate with them towards achieving prompt responses to traffic emergencies. A modern emergency call centre with a toll free 122 line was also rolled out, to enable members of the public report traffic incidents and for emergencies responses to improve.

The biometric driver licence database is shared with security agencies towards fighting crime. The reforms have also enabled Nigerians to exchange their driver licences for those of EU countries and some states in the US. Figures from the FRSC show that in 2010 road traffic crashes were reduced by 50%, deaths from road crashes by 28% in 2010.

Challenges and Next Steps

Driver testing should be made an integral part of the process of issuing drivers’ licences. Driving schools should be regulated and monitored. The reforms should be continued and improved upon. Capacity building should be carried out for FRSC staff. Video recording technology should be added to the FRSC vehicles to ensure that the growing extortion of drivers by patrolling staff of the organisation cease. Speed limiting devices for every vehicle in the country should be looked into. Mechanism for punishing and deterring traffic offences such as over-speeding, reckless driving, and overloading of commercial vehicles should be developed and strengthened.