Head of Operations, Lagos State, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Olusegun Olapade, speaks on his love for driving

How did you get into the world of traffic safety?

It began at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, where I did my first degree and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education physical education inclined. I did my thesis on Accidents: Causes and Prevention, which I believe is related with road safety. During my service, I came across a friend that introduced me to Federal Road Safety Commission, which was barely a year old at the time. I remember that my course of study took me through traffic along Ife-Ibadan Road which was notorious then for crashes. So when my friend told me then that there was a new organisation called FRSC and maybe I would be interested, I said, Yes, it would afford me the opportunity of putting to use what I read in the university. So, I applied, I was invited for an interview and fortunately, they got to know what my thesis was all about and that was basically the direction of the interview. IT was a sort of homecoming. With that, I was given employment. Right from the onset, I believed the rate at which people were dying, especially on Ife-Ibadan Road, was alarming and that was what made me have interest in writing that thesis then.

Were you interested in road safety even from childhood?

Growing up, there was nothing like road safety. The only thing we knew then was the Police. It was when I wrote my thesis on the causes and prevention of accidents that my interested began being directed towards road safety. But as a child, no, it didnt cross my mind. Where I grew up in the city then, cars were not as heavy as the time I wrote the thesis.

How did you learn to drive?

I first knew how to ride motorcycles. My father had a bicycle, which, every Sunday, I would take out to wash. After washing it, I started learning how to ride it. From there, my father graduated to motorcycles, which he didnt know how to ride. I eventually knew how to ride it before him because that time I was in the university. So, I taught him how to ride it. After that, he bought a car, which he would not allow me drive. He didnt even allow me move near it. All my efforts of stubbornness proved abortive. There was this neighbour of ours who had a car and then bought another one. He gave the first one to the children. They then approached me because they knew I could ride a motorbike. My house was opposite a very big football field. We arranged tyres like a testing ground. Remember I told you I grew up in the city. So, we started driving, manoeuvring round the tyres. When we drove to a certain level, I would teach them how to change gears and release the clutch. Because of my experience on the motorcycle, I became a teacher to my friends. We did that for almost two weeks, then I summoned courage and told them we should go to town. We went to town and we drove round the town. The traffic in Ibadan then was not as heavy as it is now. My father saw me one day, driving the neighbours car. He was surprised. He said, So you know how to drive now. That was when he told me to get my driving licence before he would allow me to drive (his car). He took me there and I did my driving test and got my licence. It was after that he allowed me to drive his car.

What was your greatest fear about driving?

I never had any fear. Nobody taught me. I believed then that anybody that didnt know how to drive should not call himself a man. I looked at it as a normal life. I never feared driving, even up till now. I took it as a hobby, something I could do as a pastime any time, any day. In fact, I dont like people driving me because I enjoy driving.

Have you ever been in an auto accident?

Once, while I was serving. A girlfriend of mine had a car and a send-off was organised for me in Kano State. I was in Bauchi and it was a long distance. She came to pick me up in Bauchi, where I was serving. On her way coming to pick me, she had a flat tyre and by the time she changed the tyre, she did not tighten the nuts well. She picked me and I took over the driving from her to meet up with the time because it was getting late. On our way, I started hearing strange sounds from the tyre. I stopped and discovered that three out of the four nuts had loosened. I had to take one nut from the other three tyres. We continued our journey; it was late minutes to 12 in the night and there was a trailer that freaked us out with full lights. I lost my sight and entered into a ditch. We lost one tyre, the vehicle ended up in a bush, came out and finally stopped but there was no injury. Since then, I have never been involved in a crash. Because of that, I dread driving at night.

How did you make it to your destination?

Somebody saw us, stopped and took us to Kano. We were already very close to Kano. The organisers of the (send-off) party later brought us back to fix the tyre and pick up the vehicle.

Which do you prefer between manual and automatic transmissions?

If you know how to drive automatic and you dont know how to drive manual, you are not a driver. Ordinarily, automatic is better than manual because you may be the type of Lagos driver that wants to have your way in traffic. I prefer automatic.

What kind of music do you enjoy while driving?

I listen to the news more on the radio.

Have you ever been booked or caught for a traffic offence?

No, but I have been stopped several times and like I told you, when I was young, I had my licence. What they normally asked for then was ones driving licence. Safety is my life; I am so engrossed in safety. So, if I still behave otherwise, that means I dont know what I am doing. People dont even like travelling me because I hardly pass 100 kilometres (per hour), so the chances of being involved in a traffic offence are very slim.

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