UN warns against selfies while driving

Country representative UN-Decade of Action on Road Safety and Injury Prevention, Nigeria Dr. Sydney Ibeanusi has warned against taking selfies while driving.

According to him, in these day of social media, one of the leading causes of road crashes is taking selfies, texting, chatting or making calls or videos on social media while driving.

He also said that apart from drinking while driving and over speeding, drunk pedestrians are also major factors of road crashes in the country.

Speaking on Saturday in Abuja at a road show commemorating the World day of remembrance for road traffic victims 2018, organised by Greenlight initiative, Ibeanusi said that road crash reduction in the country can be attained by road users.

He said, “90% of the world road crashes and death is recorded in low income and developing countries, the irony of it is that these countries constitute about 10% of the vehicle density in the world.

Read Also: NGO commences free medical care for Abia pensioners

“This crashes have been blamed on the actions and in actions of the government and people that live in these countries, this crashes are preventable by obeying the rules of road safety, not drinking and driving, do not drink and walk as pedestrians because drunk pedestrians staggering around the road can cause accidents, vehicle occupants have a role to play by cautioning reckless drivers and the use of phones for selfies. The proportions of persons that die in crashes are youths, so we should clear out of the road before taking selfies.”

Cordinator, Greenlight initiative Simon Obi revealed that over 1.3 million people die every year from road crashes worldwide.

His words, “United Nations statistics shows that over 1.3 million people die every year from road crashes worldwide, we came out to remember them and those who have been permanently injured by crashes and also raise awareness that the Nigerian road is recorded to be the most dangerous in the continent. Road crash is the leading cause of death among young people ages 16-29 in the country, so we are here to ask people to slow down and avoid every means of distraction.”