| This happended some six years ago when i was still in my penultimate year in high school. I had boarded a commercial vehicle on my way to the central market located in the heart of the city. I had totally forgotten the errand that mom had sent me and it was already past afternoon. No need to mention that the traffic situation at this time of the day would be very heavy since traders and buyers, alongside other workers were already on their way home.
If you live in Nigeria, you would agree with me that almost seventy percent of the vehicles on the roads were commercial buses. No need to mention that most of these commercial drivers were youngsters who never passed through a proper driving school.
Majority of them learnt how to drive on football fields with the assistance of a friend or an elder brother. Judging by their crude behaviors and disrespect towards passengers, one wouldn't fail to see that they were only interested in making as much money as they could by embarking on many trips within the shortest possible time. They know absolutely nothing about providing a wonderful passenger experience.
So, it didn't come as a surprise when the young driver in a desperate attempt to shake off the traffic pulled out of the highway and began to drive faster on the pedestrian lane, in the hope of mounting the highway again at another spot where the traffic I light. Some drivers engage in such indecent driving just so they could beat their colleagues to acquring new set of passengers since they would arrive at the bus station first.
Unfortunately for our driver,a speed cop had already seen him . As soon as the driver spotted the police vehicle approaching from his rear, he thoughtlessly increased speed while on still on the side walk in a desperate but foolish attempt to escape the law. At this point, all the passengers in the vehicle began to scream and I was already in a state of panic at the sudden level of speed the vehicle had gathered.
Seconds later, the threatening sirens of the police van rented the air and this made the young driver lost his nerve, thereby losing control of the wheels. The moving vehicle was already few meters away from a deep and extensive gully. More of impulse than a voluntary action, the driver made a last minute attempt and was able to deflect the vehicle in a slightly opposite direction from the ditch. At that moment, am unsuspecting bike was about to mount the main road after coming out from a street. Thank God our vehicle had already lost momentum and had just come to a halt when the bike struck it, so the impact wasn't severe. Maybe if it were the other way round, the accident could be messier.
Luckily, the bike rider and his lone passenger only sustained little bruises when they hit the ground. But the eadlight of the bike was badly damaged.
Alongside other passengers, I flagged down from the vehicle and started crying immediately. I had to sit down on the bare floor for some minutes as all my body was shaking and I couldn't feel my legs. By this time, a crowd have already gathered round the accident scene and the vehicle was impounded. Ofcourse, the driver had fled before the policeman could apprehend him. I was carried home by a gentleman in a private car.
Image Source: Alamy photos
I was about the youngest passenger in the bus and never in my life have I ever been involved in an accident before. The emotional trauma from such an unpleasant circumstance haunted me so much that I was down with a fever for two days. Even though I wasn't physically, it was sure a painful experience for me.
From that day onward, I always rode with drivers who were middle-aged aged or elderly, and not little boys that starts the ignition shortly after abusing drugs .
Thank you for reading. Glad to be part of this community and i hope to make good friends. Have a beautiful brilliant new week