THE ROLE OF DRIVERS IN ENHANCING ROAD SAFETY IN NIGERIA.

Roads in the country account for over 80% of total transportation needs of the nation. More so, it also affords a means of livelihood for most citizens and inhabitants.
Management of fleet operations should endeavor to employ professional drivers in order to minimize the level of road accidents.

Drivers who have more than one license or whose licenses have been suspended should not be employed.

Every haulage, logistics or transportation company should bear in mind the roles their drivers play to their organization, the community, the state and the country as a whole.
However, every driver should also know that his live including the lives of others is in his hands.

Therefore, while in the discharge of his duties, there are several things every driver ought to do to ensure safety on the roads.

First, every driver must posses a valid Drivers License as this goes a long way to show that he is allowed by the law to be behind the wheels.

Secondly, he must have passed the Drivers Certification Program.\more so, he should be familiar with company Safety Policies eg. Vehicle Safety Standards and prohibition of use of drug/alcohol.

Amongst others, the following are also expected of him:

There should be Familiarization and obedience to the traffic rules and regulations.

SOME LEGAL TERMS THE DRIVER NEEDS TO KNOW

MULTI-MANNING

Multi-manning is where, during each period of driving between two consecutive daily rest periods or between a weekly rest period, there is more than one driver in the vehicle to undertake the driving.

During the first hour of the multi-manning operation the presence of another driver is optional, but for the remainder of the period it is compulsory.

The purpose of this is to allow a vehicle to depart while only one driver is present, but to collect a second or more driver or drivers along the way. Of course, this must be done within one hour of the first driver commencing work.