6th August, 2012
Bullion van drivers and other motorists who drive against traffic will now face three years imprisonment without fine.
This is provided for in the new Lagos State Road Traffic Law of 2012. This is meant to checkmate the excesses of bullion van drivers who drive against traffic at will and with impunity.
Apart from imprisonment, the bullion van will be forfeited to the state government.
Driving in a direction prohibited by the road traffic law and neglect of traffic direction for any vehicle will now attract one year imprisonment for first offender and forfeiture of the vehicle to the state government. Second and subsequent offence will attract three years imprisonment and forfeiture of the vehicle to the state and the driver shall have their data captured.
Also, the law provides that a commuter or bus conductor hanging on tailboard of moving vehicle when arrested would be fined N20,000 as first offender and N30,000 as subsequent offender, while the driver of the vehicle would also be sanctioned.
It is now a grievous offence to drive a car without a seat belt on as the penalty will now be N20,000 as against N2,000 being charged by the Federal Road Safety Corps.
The law also stipulates that disobedience to traffic personnel will now attract N20,000 fine for a first offender while subsequent offence will attract N30,000 while the vehicle would be impounded.
Parking on yellow line on any public highway and illegal parking; vehicle crossing double yellow line or centre line and staying within the yellow junction box will now attract a fine of N20,000 each for a first offender and N30,000 for subsequent offence.
Also, failure to yield to right of way of pedestrians at a zebra crossing will now attract a fine of N20,000 and N30,000 for subsequent offence, while failure to give way to traffic on the left at a roundabout will attract N20,000 for a first offender and N30,000 for subsequent offence.
Illegal u-turns will attract N20,000 for a first offender while a second and subsequent offender will attract N30,000 while the driver will be sent to driving school for training.
Overloading of a commercial vehicle on the highway will now attract N50,000 fine, while driving on the walkway or kerbs will attract N50,000.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga