Some Avoidable Accidents

Looking at the  Chinese couple that fell to their death brought tears to my eyes. Making love while leaning on a window? I don’t blame them for what happened. I put all the blame on the poor window structures that couldn’t carry the weight of two adults leaning there while working.

I know some accidents are avoidable but not this one. How could they have known that the window will give way. I feel so sorry for them and their families.
This story makes me flash back to what I witnessed a few years back. A child fell out of a moving car on an expressway. 

It was early in the morning, while kids were being dropped off at schools. This baby girl fell with her school uniform, so it’s obvious she
was being taken to school. Fortunately, the driver was going slowly and as God would have it, there was no car coming directly behind. That day was like the happiest day of my life when I saw that nothing bad happened to that baby girl. She was checked, confirmed fit and still taken to school. I just hope that driver told the child’s parents cos he says they travelled out and that the kids were staying with an Aunt.

That accident was avoidable, I remember saying to that driver, that he didn’t make use of the child lock even though he insists the door was properly locked. This incident happened long ago but that particular scene has never left me. That is one reason I never allow children lean by a car door no matter how properly locked it is.  The seat belt is for their safety too, not only adults.

It’s terrible how some cars drive past and you see the kids moving freely, pressing their faces to the window or turning to face the back while a car is in motion. What if the driver suddenly steps on the breaks? What if that car needs to swerve without warning? God is so good to us in this country. Hardly you see kids use seat belts. They are so free, even playing and waving at the other cars while no one bothers.

What about kids allowed to throw things out of a moving car. It’s all our fault as parents and guardians. If we train our kids to keep their dirts, snack wraps and all till they get to destination, they will eventually get used to it. I know that for sure. These wraps and pure water sachets kids throw out of moving cars can cause some serious avoidable accidents. 

I wound down once to let in some fresh air and in just a matter of seconds, water came pouring on me from another moving car. I saw the pure water bag, but it was too late. If that sort of thing happens to the one driving and let’s say he closes his eyes even for one second to protect them from the water…

2 thoughts on “Some Avoidable Accidents”

  1. So true. It's baffling when kids take the front seat in cars without being strapped or even when they take the back seats too but are standing and just looking at other cars and aren't strapped to their seats. Lots of parents aren't safety conscious at all. I hope someone starts taking safety precautions seriously after reading this. Thanks Aunt Eya. Nice piece. As for that couple, a window? hmm. That was too risky imo.

    Reply
  2. True talk Eya. These stories are truly sad and some very avoidable. Some people say God is a Nigerian and with the way we carelessly behave in Nigerian, one gives the saying some thought! (Not that its true).
    Most Nigerian parents are guilty of not observing car safety precautions for kids. Its only God that helps us. When I think of the importance of car seats, car belts etc in first world countries, I smh sadly and pray for my own country.

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  3. Another thing Many Nigerian parents do that can cause avoidable accidents is something I call foolishness. When you ask why, the guilty parent responds "I'm just going around the corner, not going far" With a baby between the steering and the driving parent. #SCREAMING…….

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  4. ONLY AGE TWELVE AND ABOVE ARE MANDATED TO SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT OF A CAR. LESS THAN TWELVE SHOULD SEAT BEHIND. THIS IS ACCORDING TO FRSC. AND KNOW THAT AIR BAGS CAN SUFFOCATE KIDS INSTEAD OF PROTECTING THEM.

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  5. Good piece aunty Eya. Perhaps laws should be made in Naija to avoid such accidents like some parts of d world where a child up to a certain height must use a car seat (different ones available for different ages n height) with a seat belt attached to it and all other adults in d car must use a seat belt. If not used and u are stopped by the police then u are either fined a lump sum or 3-4 points are taken off ur driving licence. A build up of 8 or 12 points means ur licence is no more valid and u have to take drivong tests all over again which majority don't pass at 1st attempt and its very expensive as well.
    In some cases it is seen as child neglect and d police can involve social services and once u and ur child r known 2 social services they'll b on ur case.

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  6. Hey. Ds post gv me goose pimple.
    Am guilty of most of ds including carrying my baby while driving buh dt happens only in my street.
    I v paid 3k into d frsc acc trice fr keeping my baby at d front seat. God help us.

    Reply
  7. I thought i was the only one that thinks like you. infact my hubby thinks im so paranoid all the time. but its better to be safe than to be sorry.
    Thanks for sharing! i wish every road use can be like you.

    Reply

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