THE CARNAGE ON OTEDOLA BRIDGE
The authorities must do more to curb the deadly crashes While questions are being asked about the frequency of accidents on the Otedola Bridge, the Lagos State government insists that
The Otedola Bridge in Lagos has become notorious for deadly crash incidents, requiring urgent intervention by authorities. The bridge, built in 1978, has seen about 15 accidents in the past three years, many of which have been fatal. In the latest incident, a diesel tanker carrying 33,000 liters of fuel plunged off the bridge and caught fire, resulting in two severe burn injuries.
Safety experts argue that the bridge has two major engineering issues: the slippery road surface requiring resurfacing and the bridge's downward slope that leads to vehicles descending into a valley and climbing up on a slippery surface. While the Lagos State government maintains that structural assessments show no core defects and attributes crashes to reckless driving, some safety experts contend that the bridge's design and the behavior of heavy-duty truck drivers pose significant risks.
The Federal Road Safety Corps reported 256 road traffic crashes on Otedola Bridge, Kara Bridge, and the OPIC corridor between 2018 and 2020, with 39 crashes on the bridge alone representing 15% of the incidents. These incidents are primarily attributed to speed violations, brake failures, and mechanical issues, often exacerbated by the lawless behavior of heavy-duty truck drivers.
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