Receiving or making phone calls while driving is banned, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps, regardless of the wireless device used for such communication. Drivers who make or receive calls while driving using AirPods, EarPods, or any other wired or wireless headphones in hands-free mode face a six-month jail sentence, according to the FRSC.
In an interview on Saturday, FRSC Corps Public Education Officer Bisi Kazeem warned that driving takes total concentration and that road users should not take any risks with their lives. According to the National Road Traffic Regulations of 2012, it is illegal to make or receive phone calls while driving.
Kazeem said, “It is illegal. Driving entails 100 per cent concentration so you cannot be distracted. It is there in the regulation. “It is clear from the provisions of Reg 166 (1) that it is illegal to make phone calls using EarPods, earphones or whatever means. “It is also clear that phone call is not restricted to a telephone conversation between two or more people. “Anything that will distract you while driving must be avoided. When we do public enlightenment, we even discourage drivers from talking to passengers which could cause distraction. “The law may not make it an offence but at the same time, it can distract you, even changing your cassette (while driving) can distract you and result in an accident.”
Mr Olukayode Ayoola, the Assistant Route Commander who issued the warning in Lagos, stated that drivers using earpieces had caused numerous accidents.
At the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Court of His Majesty, Abesan, Ipaja, Lagos, Ayoola was educating some Christians on traffic safety rules. According to him, accidents have happened as a result of drivers failing to hear crucial caution horning due to the use of earpieces.
He claims that 90% of road crashes are caused by human error, such as carelessness and ignorance, whereas 10% are caused by mechanical failures.
”It is unfortunate that people know the right thing to do while driving but refuse to do them. All precautionary measures put out by road safety are not for formalities but are meant to be adhered to, for the safety of all.
”Use of phones and earpiece is seriously discouraged while driving, it is an offence; these will serve as distractions and could lead to accidents and eventual deaths,” he stated.
According to Ayoola, a motorist must install a caution sign 50 meters away from the site where his car has a problem to prevent another vehicle from colliding with it. He also stated that “Children under the age of 12 should not be allowed to sit in the front, and mothers fond of breastfeeding while driving should desist from it.
Ayoola claims that road accidents have killed more people than major communicable diseases and other ailments. Nigerians, he added, should be aware of highway laws and all other road safety procedures.
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