Road Safety Expert Proffers Solutions To Fuel Tanker Crashes, Explosions

Mr Jide Owatunmise of the Professional Driving and Safety Academy, in the piece below shares his perspectives on stemming the disturbing number of fuel tanker crashes on Nigerian Roads

Recently the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), expressed fear over the Federal Government’s plan to ban 60,000 litres capacity tankers, following the rising cases of accidents involving fuel tankers.

A week after the Union expressed its fears , the Federal Government had indeed placed a ban on 60,000 litres capacity tankers from lifting fuel at designated depots from March 1.

Yusuf Othman, NARTO President, had in an interview, said such a move would cause a loss of N300billion worth of investments by the tanker owners.

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) is considering placing a ban on 60,000 litres capacity petroleum tankers, due to incessant accidents/deaths involving them in the country.

Othman, however, said the cause of the accidents was not the usage of 60,000 litres tanker capacity, but could be attributed to the condition of the roads, condition of the vehicles and the drivers.

He said that 2,000 trucks with 60,000 litres capacity worth N150m each, amounting to N300b investments were being involved in the transportation of petroleum products nationwide.

In his reaction to the reported ban, Mr. Jide Owatunmise in an exclusive discussion with Daily Independent, said, “The banning is not the main solution. If the vehicles were designed by the Manufacturers to carry 60000 litres, there is no need to ban them. They are not falling in some other Countries where they are being used. 

“It is more economical lifting 60,000 liters with one Tanker than lifting 66,000 litres with 2 Tankers. The ban on 60,000, tankers will further shoot up fuel prices when the cost – pricing ratio comes into play. There are converted 33,000 and 45,000 Tankers which are more dangerous on the roads than the 60,000 litres Tankers but the ban did not address them.” He stressed.

He revealed that sometime around 2006 during the tenure of Senator Gbenga Daniel as the Executive Governor of Ogun State, a fully loaded fuel Tanker fell near Shagamu Junction and fire erupted instantly that led to the death of over 60 people who were burnt beyond recognition. Many vehicles also got burnt.

Owatunmise added that the grave for the mass burial of the Victims is still at Shahamu junction till today.  The incident happened when the Tanker Driver saw a pothole ahead. He swerved to the left side of the road to avoid the pothole but by the time he turned the steering to the right to continue his movement on the straight road, he lost control because there was a weight or load shift to the left as he tried to return the direction of the fuel Tanker to the right. In a nutshell, centrifugal force overpowered the Tanker, leading to that sad disaster.

“There were similar incidents before and after, particularly the recent incidents in Onitsha, Dikko, and Enugu, with blames passed on those scooping fuel responsible for the high number of casualties, however, we need to attention more on the Causes and Prevention of Tanker falls, leading to spillage and the ghostly risk of scooping”, he said.

To forestall the incessant collapse of fuel loaded tankers from Nigerian roads, Owatunmise gave the following steps, urging those in authorities, especially the regulatory bodies to take cognizance with the view to implementing them going forward. 

 Education

Research revealed that over 80 per cent of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles in Nigeria did not attend specialised Driving Schools to attend the Mandatory Theory and Practical Training sessions.

 Over 80 per cent of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles do not know all the Road Traffic Signs, Road Markings, regulations and the Road rules guiding the safe transportation of hazardous goods such as flammable Fuel.

Over 90 per cent of the Drivers of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles do not understand all the forces that operate on the articulated vehicles in motion, particularly, Kinetic Energy, Centrifugal Force and Inertia which are the principal factors responsible for the fall and crash of most of the Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles. 

Drivers must understand the height, weight, width and length of the vehicle, the distance needed to overtake, the control needed when going downhill, power needed to climb uphill to overcome the force of Inertia, the need to avoid any sudden change of speed or direction (kinetic Energy and Centrifugal force respectively).

Attitude

Majority of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles know little or nothing about personal energy level management which determines their mental and physical fitness for safe driving. 

Most of these Drivers lack the right attitudes for safe vehicle handling and road sharing. Some of the attitudes they display on the road are Drug Addiction, Aggressive driving, tailgating, over speeding or unsafe speed, Intimidation, and Retaliation among other negative attitudes. 

Vehicle Dynamics

Over 90 percent of Retrievers do not understand the forces that operate on their vehicles when they are in motion. These forces are the main factors that usually cause the falls and crashes of articulated vehicles and other trucks. 

Every Driver of Fuel Tankers and other Trucks must have a deep understanding of the following: the Driving Forces, Friction/Traction, Jack-knifing, Trailer swinging/tail swinging, Gravity, Vehicle Characteristics, Vehicle Limits, Load Restraints.

Braking System and Brake Management

The Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles must deeply understand how the brakes of their vehicles function, the braking and stopping distance, mathematics of speed in relation to braking, Brake fade and brake failure, Tyre quality and management. Sudden or violent acceleration, braking or steering can cause severe loss of control. All maneuvering must be carried out smoothly and in good time.

Weak Regulation and Enforcement

Haulage requires the operators to take certain factors that will enhance the safety of their operations on the roads into consideration. Some of the Drivers are underage, while most of the Truck Drivers are not keeping and updating the Driver’s Diary to prevent fatigue.  

Many of these Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles were reconstructed here in Nigeria to carry more loads than the vehicle Manufacturers designed them for.

Many of the vehicles are not roadworthy, moving with substandard and bad tyres, while others speed more than the safe level on all types of roads with impunity. 

Many of the Drivers and their Assistants have no valid Driver’s Licence. All these anomalies are common with most of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles and no Government Agency is actively working to curb these and allied shortcomings or wrongdoings.

In the United Kingdom and Australia among several other Countries, Periodic Truck Inspections and Regular annual Assessment and Training of Truck Drivers and their Assistants by specialised Driving Instructors are taken seriously and this has helped these Countries to significantly prevent the fall and crash of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles on their roads.

Truck driving is a serious task that serious attention must be paid to by the Drivers, the Employers of the Drivers, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Driving School Association,  the Institute of Driving Instructors of Nigeria, and other Stakeholders and more importantly, the Presidency to prevent further loss of lives and valuable properties in Nigeria.

Enforcement Steps

All the Fuel Tankers currently operating on Nigeria roads should be assessed and recertified by FRSC and VIOs nationwide.

All the Drivers and Driver Assistants of all the Tankers should be assessed and re – trained by Members of the Institute of Driving Instructors of Nigeria and Driving Schools Association with the supervision of FRSC.

The Federal Government should set up a Road Monitoring Taskforce comprising of Officers of FRSC, VIO, Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, Institute of Driving Instructors of Nigeria, Driving Schools Association, and Coalition of Road Safety NGOs/CSOs with the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Transportation. 

 This Special Taskforce is to periodically monitor Fuel Tankers at the Loading Bays, Tanker Parks and on the roads, particularly at the black spots or flash points.

Emergency Mobile Courts should be set up at strategic areas to prosecute violators.

No specific time should be set for Articulated vehicles to move on the roads. It all depends on the nature of their contents.

The use of Drivers’ Diary should be made mandatory and regularly monitored on the roads for more effective Fatigue Management.

It is not only Fuel Tankers that should be focused on. In fact, the same is applicable to all the Articulated Vehicles (Trailers) and other Goods Trucks. 

For now, the Federal Ministry of Transportation as the Head of the National Council on Transportation should as a matter of urgency organise a Stakeholders meeting comprising of FMoT, FRSC, VIOs, Institute of Driving Instructors of Nigeria,  Driving Schools Association,  PENGASSAN,  NUPENG,  NARTO, NURTW, RTEAN and other Stakeholders to discuss these issues to agree on  result- oriented strategies. 

It is time to put an end to the colossal loss of lives and properties on Nigeria roads. These incidents are preventable if the right things are done. Together, we can get it done.