The catastrophic, alarming increase in tragic motor accidents across the length and breadth of the Republic of Liberia cannot be an embellishment. But what is captivating and conspicuously missing from the national monograph in Liberia is the increase in tragic motor accidents that have taken the precious lives of innocent Liberians.
The majority of car crashed victims are either teenager, breadwinners, market women, and struggling downtrodden who leave their various domiciles every day in search of daily loaves of bread and sometimes never make it home due to tragic motor accidents that lead to their sad demise leaving their families in perpetual greaves.
The growing motorists and the overall safety of Liberian lives as they commute from one destination to another across Liberia, especially in towns, cities, and rural areas, lie in the purview of the Transport Ministry, the Liberian National Police (LPN), and The National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP); Road Safety Action International (RSAI); Liberia Road Safety Initiatives, (LRSI); and Liberia Traffic Management (LTM).
With all intents and purposes, the above-mentioned safety entities should be commended for their courageous efforts, which is embedded with enormous challenges amid the scarcity of finances in Liberia. Nonetheless, records have revealed that 25,000 Liberian lives were unaccounted for during the 16 years of brutal civil genocide. Today, in post-war Liberia, most Liberians are still dying of different causes and numerous factors.
For example, most Liberians are currently dying at the mercy of armed robberies, hardened criminals, hijackers, outbreaks of intentional and unintentional fire settings, sicknesses, diseases, hunger, poverty, and floods. There is widespread news of the disappearances of innocent Liberians, mysterious killings, ritualistic killings, and the killing of some Liberians to extract their vital organs in exchange for the almighty dollars is very sad.
In addition to these unfortunate shortlisted killings, the increase in terrible car accidents across Liberia has added to the death spree in Liberia, where a breadwinner, market woman, or even a street vendor will leave his/her domicile on a hustle and never return to their wives, children, or husbands due to either a terrible car crashes incidents or a reckless motorcyclist killing that individual(s).
What is painstakingly alarming is the fact that most of the deaths are man-made-oriented; for instance, innocent Liberians are dying from an increase in car accidents due to poor road conditions, aggressive driving, speeding; excessive intoxication, drug; alcohol; not wearing seat belts; driver fatigue; driving distraction; overloading; faulty brakes, cripple vehicles left by the roadside, reckless driving by log and sand truck in populated communities broad daylight, ignoring Traffic Signs and Signals; over the capacity of passengers; lack of proper education; quasi drivers or unqualified drivers; anyone can quickly get driver license to be a driver; poor vehicle maintenance; lack of speed limits, education and lack of Traffic Rules Education for drivers.
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data published in 2020, “Road Traffic accident deaths in Liberia reached 1,920 or 5.70% of total deaths. The age-adjusted Death Rate was 55.89 per 100,000 population, and Liberia was ranked #4 in the world when it comes to the rapid increase in systemic accident rates in the world.” The World Bank also reported that, “Venezuela and Zimbabwe have the highest accident rate in the world, far better than Liberia,” yet Liberia shouldn’t be proud of such records. Liberia’s population is just five (5) million while Zimbabwe’s population is 16.32 million and Venezuela’s population is 28.3 million.
The Liberia National Police (LNP), the Transport Ministry, and Liberian Lawmakers must be sensitive to the increase in systemic accident rates in Liberia. Particularly the Lawmakers, who drive more regularly than any other drivers in Liberia before work and after work. For instance, the late Representative Adolph Lawrence was struck by a timber truck on ‘Tower Hill,’ Robert Field Highway, killing him and his aides instantly. The lawmakers should have picked queues from the sudden accidental death of their late colleague via a dangerous car crash accident that took his life. The Lawmakers should have facilitated the crafting of multiple road safety laws to take effect across Liberia.
I beg to recommend the following suggestions and recommendations as they relate to how systemic car crashes can be minimized across Liberia:
The Ministry of Transportation should issue drivers license after the driver completes a driving test and be certificated; Several speed ramps should be constructed in cities, towns across Liberia to reduce over speeding.
All drivers should be tested every six months by the Ministry. The test should include, eyesight testing to detect any vision impairment, anyone driving in Liberia without the Ministry’s driving test certification should be arrested and detained for six months before appearing in court, anyone (Liberian/Non-Liberian) caught in drunk driving should be arrested and fined $1500 for the first offense and $2000 for the second offense.
He/she should be detained for 6 months and appear in court, all logs’ trucks, sand trucks, rice trucks, rock trucks, plying towns and cities across Liberia should drive in towns/cities between 2:am and 4:am at dawn-not in the day. Violators are detained for 6 months before going to court and fined $2500. It should be a non-billable offense.
Any carboy or car helper caught driving without the Ministry test certification should be arrested, detained for 6 months before appearing in court, and fined $750; it should be a non-billable offense. Anyone caught driving with a different driving test certification other than the Ministry test certification should be arrested, detained for six months before going to court and fined $1000.
Anyone who undergoes training with a private driving school will not be qualified to drive officially in Liberia except he/she possesses the official test certification from the Ministry of Transportation. Violators should be arrested and detained for 6 months before going to court and fined $2600. It should be a non-billable offense. LNP should ban and remove all non-road-worthy buses, mini cars, and faulty cars across Liberia.
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