Christmas Season - Your Life In Your Hands

(Pic credit: getpiping.com)

Did you know that:

• Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) account for the highest number of deaths in Africa? 
• In Nigeria, Road Traffic Accidents are the third leading cause of overall deaths?
• During the Christmas season, dozens lose their lives to Road Traffic Accidents?
• Road Traffic Accidents are the most common cause of disabilities?  

This Christmas season, you have a duty to keep yourself and your family safe and alive.

In subsequent editions, an expert would  enlighten us on the most common causes of RTA and how you can stay alive this Christmas season so keep your eyes on Nikkyivyblog...

STORY OF THE DAY

They saw the thick black smoke embracing the clear sky from a distance and had concluded it was probably a hunter burning the bushes.

Christmas was two weeks away but Benji needed to see his mother at the village before the mad rush. He had no plans of spending his holidays at the village. He would stay with her for just a week. Their Sienna bus would be in the main city in about an hour, he calculated eagerly as the driver maneuvered his way through the road riddled with gaping holes. He really missed his mother.

Benji was staring at the cashew trees lining the lonely road when an old man waving dead green leaves caught their attention. He was pointing ahead of him as they drew nearer. The driver slowed down and muttered...

"Na accident oh!"

The women in the bus hissed and sighed.  The man beside him started narrating his recent experience as Benji who was near the window leaned out to peer at the burning vehicle by the side of the road. His heart missed a beat when he saw lifeless bodies and luggages strewn all over the lonely road. A round and charred object he could not describe sat in the middle of the road. Ignoring it, his eyes went back to the damaged cars. It was the second accident he was witnessing that week. This time it was a head on collision of two cars.

Since they were the first people at the scene, their driver abruptly parked by the side of the road and jumped down. The other passengers pulled open the back door and ran after him each screaming in his dialect; probably there was something they could do to save a soul. Benji rushed after the men, leaving the crying women behind.

The accident was fatal. The hot afternoon sun was sizzling the blood of the victims on the tarred road. Other cars were pulling over when he made it to the smaller car that was badly battered and lying on its side. The windscreen and windows were all shattered and blood was still spewing out of the lifeless body of a man. Benji paused and closed his eyes against the gory sight. The strange object he had seen sitting in the middle of the road now made sense. The impact of the accident had severed the drivers head from his body.

He suddenly felt sick as the breakfast his wife had served him that morning  rushed back into his mouth. Benji bent over and uncontrollably threw up on the tarmac.

"Oga are you okay? You need to sit down oh. Jesus! Na this guy head dey road ooh! I think everyone is dead! Our driver don call Road safety sha! Chai! Over speeding is not good oh..."

One passenger rambled on while Benji wiped his mouth against his shirt's. sleeve.

What a dreadful death, Benji thought as tears trickled down his ashen face. The passengers were still screaming and praying when another bus ran into and damaged their parked sienna. All the passengers and their distraught  driver ran back to yell at the new driver who was obviously shocked.

Benji was hit by the sudden realization that he was tired of reckless drivers and automobiles. He walked back to the bus, grabbed his backpack and trudged off. His legs would take him to the waiting arms of his mother...