Identify convoys properly to stop lawless drivers

I am no stranger to traffic gridlocks and so staying long periods in traffic hardly tickles me. This is not to say that I feel happy wasting precious time in traffic sweating and having backaches—I have developed a “dead goat syndrome” to it. Using the Achimota-Ofankor-Nsawam road every day is like “hell on earth”.

The substance of this opinion piece is not to profess my prowess in enduring traffic, but to express my worry about a development I think needs urgent attention. I am a citizen and not a spectator. And as a citizen, I am required to “respect” and “obey” laws and orders, including accepted conventions, such as paving way for vehicles in convoys and emergency services vehicles to overtake me in traffic.

The Bible, for instance, says in Romans 13:7 (NIV) that “Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour”.

Taking inspiration from the above scripture, I don’t get offended when government convoys use their sirens and colourful lights to zoom past me in choking traffic. No matter how long the traffic is, I don’t get offended when such vehicles, whether empty or full use their sirens and hazards to maneuver their way through it. I respect them.

I become extremely offended, on the other hand, when I realise that not all the vehicles in the convoy are actually part of the official convoy. How do we determine original convoy vehicles from those of opportunist drivers seeking to beat the traffic by play smart and joining the convoys while tooting their horns, and oftentimes with their hazards on?

Respectful citizens like myself, are often troubled by this. This indiscipline is annoying and can dissuade law abiding to refuse to yield space to official or emergency convoys.

The prevalence of this shameful behaviour shows that it is gaining acceptance, and makes one wonder what sort of a country we desire for ourselves.

I sometimes wonder whether the perpetrators and indeed, all others know the dangers such ‘intrusions’ pose to the public. Have our security agencies taken notice of this indiscipline and irresponsible behaviours on our roads?

As a nation, let us respect the rights of citizens as we expect citizens to respect the laws and conventions of the state. We are human beings because we have created and maintained for ourselves a culture of mutual respect. Let us not abuse it!

It is about time we took practical steps to prevent this indiscipline, which is currently becoming an accepted norm on our roads. We ought to nip it in the bud before it blossoms into normalcy.

Even hearses with dead bodies have started following such acts where supposed bereaved families engage in all forms of lawless acts, such as fixing sirens and colourful, flashing lights on their vehicles.

As a citizen, I believe that it will be appropriate if authorities managing state convoys identify such vehicles uniformly to help the rest of society overcome the needless stress festering on our roads. A stitch in time they say saves…

Writer’s email: zadok.gyesi@graphic.com.gh