The major cause of increased motorcycle accidents in Ogbomosho

As a medical student who has rotated through the orthopaedic unit of the Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), it has come to my notice that 98% of road traffic accidents are usually motorcycle involved. It is common knowledge that motorcycles compared to motor vehicles are less safe but the rate at which people get involved in motorcycle accidents is truly alarming. So I decided to do my research.

The first thing that caught my attention was that nearly all the speedometers (gauge cluster) of motorcycles in Ogbomosho are either not working or totally absent, meaning there is even no speedometer to start with. As a student who doesn’t own a car and whose major means of transportation is via motorcycles, I have ensured to look out for this anomaly and I have not been disappointed so far. Out of every 5 motorcycles I enter, four and a half of them do not have functioning speedometers.

Motorcycle with a missing speedometer

The above picture was taken personally by me and as you can see, there is no gauge cluster on this motorcycle and it a common sight in Ogbomosho. Sometimes I tell myself that not having it is better off because what is the use when it does not function. So I will be answering two questions, the why and the outcome of missing speedometers on motorcycles in Ogbomosho.

Motorcyclists a.k.a Okada Riders

Why?

Simply put, virtually all the motorcycles in Ogbomosho are purchased second hand and I don’t mean tokunbo type of second hand from Kotonou, I mean second hand Nigerian used. Any vehicle that is obtained as a Nigerian used is usually already in bad condition and the owner is just trying to do away with it.. Another point is that poor maintenance of these motorcycles leads to damage of the gauge clusters.

Nigerian used second hand motorcycles for sale

Outcome?

I am sure Turbonerdz who drive can relate to a scenario where you are cruising home in your car and you suddenly look at the speedometer, only to realize you are doing almost a hundred kilometers per hour within town. The next logical thing to do is to let ones foot off the gas pedal and drive at a safe speed. But in the instance where your speedometer is not working and you don’t have an idea of your current speed, it is easy to overspeed unconsciously.

A Motorcycle Accident

You soon realize that quite a number of these road traffic accidents are as a result of unintentional over speeding my motorcyclists, as they are usually oblivious of their speed in real time due to faulty speedometers. The solution to this problem would be for motorcyclists to repair faulty speedometers but quite a number of them are only interested in making ends meet with whatever amount of money they make in a day. So why spend their hard earned money on fixing a faulty speedometer that would eventually pack up again?

Thank you for reading and always remember to Turbo that engine!