Driving in Lagos has 10 Commandments
Every driver is pretty confident in their driving skills however, the true test of the greatness of a driver’s skills is driving on Lagos roads. We believe that if you can successfully drive in Lagos, you can drive anywhere else in the world without hassle.
We compiled a list of ten rules that every newbie and experienced Lagos driver must follow to survive on Lagos roads. In no order of relevance, they include:
- Trust yourself only: You have to drive under the impression that you are the only one with excellent driving skills on the road. You’ll need to think for other drivers on the road, predicting their actions and acting accordingly. This way, you are always a step ahead.
- Motorcycles own your blind spot: The blind spot refers to an area around your vehicle that you can’t see while driving, in spite of your side mirrors. Motorcycles AKA ‘okadas’ are mostly lurking in your blind spot, making you susceptible to running into them. Always assume that they are there all the way.
- Don’t ignore traffic lights: You might get to a traffic light that other drivers are ignoring and you’ll feel tempted to do the same. Don’t do it. The police and other road law enforcement officers might be hiding, waiting to find a scapegoat and you just might be unlucky. Obey all traffic lights.
- Signals are not enough: When driving in Lagos traffic especially, never assume that other drivers will allow you to move ahead of them on the lane simply because you have ‘trafficated’. Get verbal or sign confirmation otherwise, you risk your car being bashed.
- Avoid lane combats with buses and tricycles: Buses are also known as ‘danfo’ and ‘korope’ while tricycles are known as ‘maruwa’ in Lagos. They are rough-looking vehicles driven by drivers who have no sentimental value for any other vehicle on the road. If you want to preserve your car’s neat appearance, do not struggle over a lane with these people. You’ll be lucky if you receive anything more than a half-baked apology if they damage your vehicle.
- Take documentation seriously: Ensure that you can easily provide road law enforcement officers with your valid driver’s license and vehicle documents when asked. Failure to provide these documents could be the reason why you have to cancel all of your plans for that day. If you are ever unsure about the status of your documents, verify them on Whistle before hitting the road.
- Understand the traffic: Everyone already knows that Lagos traffic is dreadful. You owe it to yourself to always know the traffic situation on the route that you are headed at all times so you don’t find yourself in very pitiful situations.
- Be a Whistler: Whistle is an app that allows you to give traffic updates, report traffic violators and accidents, and verify your car documents. You get financial and social rewards when you make reports on Whistle. Because of the real-time and detailed road updates that you get on Whistle, you are able to make better decisions about your movement. Everyone who drives in Lagos should be a Whistler.
- Suppress the urge for revenge: It is important that you learn to control your anger and thirst for revenge when driving in Lagos. This is because failure to do so might result in you acting irrationally and making a costly mistake that could also harm you. Make peace with the fact that you won’t always get your pound of flesh.
- Keep random items in your car: 2 liters of water, a razor blade, mechanical equipment, and extra pair of footwear are some of the things we suggest having in your car because Lagos is full of surprises so you need to stay ready.
Comment any other thing that you believe Lagos drivers should know about.
