When Speed Invades Safe Spaces: Examining Systemic Failures Behind Lagos’ Recurring Road Tragedies

Speed-related crashes are rarely isolated incidents. They are often the foreseeable result of excessive velocity meeting weak safety safeguards and vulnerable road users. Across Lagos and its surrounding corridors, multiple tragedies have shown that when speed is not effectively managed, the consequences can be devastating. Victory Bernard writes.

In June 2025, traffic officials confirmed that a female pedestrian was fatally struck by a vehicle travelling at excessive speed at Mosalasi Roundabout on New Ipaja Road in Lagos State. According to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, the black Toyota Tundra involved veered off the carriageway, mounted the pedestrian walkway, and hit the woman, who died instantly from the impact. Preliminary investigations indicated the vehicle was travelling at a dangerously high speed before losing control. Some eyewitnesses reported that the driver attempted to flee the scene but was quickly held by traffic officers and handed over to the Gowon Estate Police Division for further investigation.

Overspeeding and Growing Risk to Pedestrians in Lagos

On 14 September 2025, a male pedestrian died following a hit-and-run crash on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway immediately after the Ogudu flyover bridge toward Ifako. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) reported that the driver of a Nissan Jeep attempted to overtake a heavily loaded articulated truck at high speed, lost control of the vehicle, and struck the pedestrian before veering into the central median. After the collision, the driver initially attempted to flee, but LASTMA officers intercepted and detained him, handing him over to the Ogudu Police Division. Despite being taken to a nearby hospital, the pedestrian was later confirmed dead.

On December 28, 2025, along the Lekki–Epe Expressway, five boys between the ages of eight and thirteen were reportedly standing near a residential gate when a vehicle allegedly lost control after overspeeding and crashed into them. Four survived with severe injuries while one, a nine-year-old child, was suspected dead at the scene. The confirmed receiving a distress call at 14:31 hours and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services deployed responders immediately. The vehicle involved was later evacuated to Maroko Police Station for investigation.

“Investigation is about prevention, not blame.” — Livinus Ojefua

Livinus Ojefua, Safety, Health and Environment Lead at Lekoil Nigerian Limited, emphasized that understanding a crash requires moving beyond immediate assumptions and examining the broader safety environment surrounding the incident.

“As a trained accident investigator, I do not stop at what appears obvious. We must ask whether there were eyewitness accounts and what they observed. Were the children crossing, standing, or playing nearby? Without answering these questions carefully, we risk treating symptoms instead of root causes. Investigation is about prevention, not blame. When a vehicle loses control in a residential area, speed is a primary factor to examine because excessive velocity reduces the driver’s ability to react to sudden obstacles, increases stopping distance, and amplifies collision impact force beyond survivable limits. Even moderate speeding can become deadly in places where children live and move freely because children cannot accurately judge vehicle speed or escape fast-moving traffic in time.”

He further explained that residential neighbourhood safety depends heavily on physical road design. According to him, safety infrastructure such as speed bumps, raised pedestrian crossings, and adequate street lighting are essential protective features. Clear separation between pedestrian zones and vehicle movement areas is necessary because when such structural safeguards are absent, safety becomes dependent mainly on driver behaviour rather than environmental protection.

Ojefua also stressed the importance of enforcement consistency.

“Speed limits must not only exist as written regulations but must be visible and actively enforced. CCTV monitoring, traffic patrol presence, and community reporting systems help create behavioural deterrence among drivers. When enforcement is irregular, risky driving behaviour gradually becomes normalized, and residential roads may slowly begin to function like unofficial extensions of expressways. That cultural normalization of speed is extremely dangerous because it creates a false sense of safety in high-risk zones.”

Beyond infrastructure and enforcement, Ojefua emphasized community awareness.

“Road safety education should not be limited to public campaigns alone but must also be reinforced within neighbourhoods and households. Children, due to their developmental stage, cannot reliably judge vehicle speed or stopping distance. Residential environments should therefore be designed to compensate for human limitations rather than depend solely on individual caution.

“Safety is cumulative; tragedy occurs when several defenses fail at once.” — Julius Akpong

HSE Manager, Cummings Energy Solution, Julius Akpong approached the crash from a defensive driving and systems analysis perspective, explaining that road accidents are usually the result of multiple safety layers failing simultaneously rather than a single mistake.

“We analyze vehicle condition, driver competence, mental state, and adherence to traffic rules. Road design must also be reviewed, sidewalks, drainage coverage, pedestrian demarcation, and road shoulders are important. Possible distractions from passengers, other road users, and even weather conditions must also be considered.”

He further explained that even a mechanically sound vehicle can become dangerous if driven at excessive speed, since human behaviour remains a dominant risk factor. Momentary distraction, fatigue, or poor visibility can reduce a driver’s ability to recover from sudden hazards.

Akpong emphasized that safety should be viewed as a layered protection system involving the vehicle, driver, and road infrastructure. When several protective layers fail together, such as high speed combined with weak pedestrian protection, the probability of fatal crashes increases significantly.

He also warned about the cultural normalization of speeding in some Lagos road corridors where enforcement is inconsistent. According to him, when risky behaviour is not punished, drivers may begin to treat residential roads as extensions of major traffic routes.

While acknowledging the role of authorities in improving infrastructure and enforcemen, he said, “Authorities must improve infrastructure and enforcement, but families should also monitor children near traffic-prone areas. Education and awareness must begin at home and continue in schools. However, supervision alone cannot compensate for systemic safety gaps.”

The recurring lesson across Lagos is clear. Speed narrows safety margins, reduces reaction time, increases stopping distance, and magnifies impact force. In environments where children are present, these factors combine into irreversible outcomes.

For Lagos, the priority must shift from reaction to prevention, through enforceable speed management, safer urban design, and sustained public awareness before speed invades another safe space.