A SHORT CUT MAY BE A LONGER ROUTE: ECONOMIC AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS OF TRAFFIC REGULATIONS’ VIOLATIONS IN OYO STATE

Abstract

On the road altercations, road crashes, longer travelling time, loss of lives and properties, and general economic loss were recorded on the roads because road users were mostly in a hurry and disobeyed traffic regulations. Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority Law 2009 (OYRTMAL 2009) and some other relevant documents were reviewed, together with the data generated on the field, with a view to expunge the adequacy of active regulations to address emerging traffic realities and then advise road users on sustainable road infrastructure usage. Some of the traffic regulations violated by the road users while in hurry include: driving/riding against direction approved by law, disobeying traffic light, disobeying zebra crossing regulation, causing obstruction on the road, not yielding to traffic on the left at roundabout and so forth. It requires much longer time to settle disputes that ensue when one of the negative implications of traffic regulations’ violations occurs. It is therefore imperative for road users to obey traffic regulations for safer road, and for personal and general economic prosperity.