Back to: Civic Education Primary 2
Welcome to class.
Road signs are symbols that help road users gain full information about road in order to avoid accidents.
These signs are grouped into:
Regulatory Signs: These signs appear often in circular shapes. Regulatory signs are divided into:
- Mandatory Regulatory signs: These gives the right regulatory instructions. They appear with blue circles but without red borders such as diversion sign, roundabout sign, etc.
- Prohibitive Regulatory Signs: Signs with red and yellow circles are referred to as prohibitive regulatory signs. Examples include U turn sign, No light sign, stop, etc.
Information Signs: These signs provide the required information to road users. They appear rectangular in shape.
Importance/Need for Road Signs
- Safety on the roads: These signs, when followed, ensure the safety of people using the roads. The lives of the people will not be wasted through accidents on the roads.
- Safety of property. When accidents happen on the roads, property are destroyed. In order to save property, traffic regulations are put in place.
- Prevention of accidents: Accidents are prevented when traffic regulations are enforced on our roads. When road users obey traffic signs, accidents will be prevented on our roads.
- Helping us to reach our destinations in time: When road users obey traffic signs, there will be free flow of traffic, and this will enable people to get to their destinations without wasting time in traffic jams, which are usually caused by non-compliance with traffic regulations.
- Enjoyment of stress free journeys: When traffic signs are obeyed, our journeys will be with less anxiety and anger. When there is a traffic jam, people always get angry at the slightest provocation. However, when the regulations are obeyed, anger and provocation, which lead to stress in individuals will be avoided.
Reasons for obeying Road Signs
The following are some of the reasons for obeying road signs:
- It helps to check over-speeding: Speed limits will be observed when we obey road signs on our roads.
- It reduces accidents on the roads: If traffic regulations guide the behaviour of road users, the number of accidents on the roads will be greatly reduced.
- Drivers will behave well: If drivers obey traffic regulations, they would not do things they are not supposed to do, e.g. stopping in the middle of the highway to pick up passengers.
- There will be a smooth movement of vehicles: The movement of vehicles will be smoother when all road users obey traffic rules and regulations.
Ways of Obeying Highway Code on our Roads
The following are some of the main ways traffic regulations can be obeyed:
- Regular maintenance of vehicles: Our vehicles must be well maintained. We should regularly service our vehicles so that they do not break down on the roads. When vehicles are maintained regularly, they will work smoothly, brake failures will be avoided, and tyres will not suddenly burst if they have been checked regularly.
- Slowing down at zebra crossings: We should slow down at zebra crossing to allow pedestrians to cross the road. We should allow them to use the roads just like those driving vehicles.
- Avoiding over-speeding: Over-speeding means speeding too much. It kills. In order to avoid deaths on our roads, we should avoid speeding recklessly without regard for speed limits.
- Respecting traffic signs: Road users must respect traffic signs. Signs like No right turn, No ‘U’ turn, No entry for all vehicles should be observed to avoid hazards on our roads.
- We should not park on the road: We should not park on the road or where we have the sign, No parking. This will help to avoid road obstruction. Only approved parking spaces should be used for parking.
- Commercial drivers should pick up passengers at the right places:: Commercial vehicle drivers should take on passengers at the motor parks and bus stops that are legally allowed for that purpose. This will ease traffic on the roads.
Agencies that Enforce Highway Code on our Roads
Many agencies assist in the enforcement of traffic regulations in Nigeria. Some of these agencies are government owned while others are voluntary groups.
These agencies include the following:
- The Nigeria Police. These are Traffic Police and Traffic Wardens.
- Road Safety Corps.
- Vehicle Inspection Officers (V.I.Os.)
- Mobile courts. They try traffic offenders.
- Road marshals. These are individuals trained by the Federal Road Safety Corps to enforce traffic regulations in Nigeria.
- Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA)
This is the end of the class. If you have any questions ask using the comment box. See you in the next class.
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