Okada accidents on the increase again!
Okada (motor bike) accidents are on the increase within and around the Freetown municipality. Quite recently, dozens of motor bike accidents have been reported in the various hospitals in Freetown. In a recent visit to the Emergency Hospital in the Western part of the city, this writer could not believe his eyes in what he saw to be bike accident victims. As the case has always been, critical road accidents ranging from broken legs to head injury are frequently being referred to the Emergency Hospital for proper medical attention. (Photo: Just one of the many Okada victims)
In fact, what prompted the curiosity of this writer was the fatal accident that occurred on the 21st March, 2010, within the hours of 6:00 pm to 700 pm at Congo Cross roundabout, just outside Vine Memorial School in Freetown. The victim was an Okada passenger bound for Lumley. “The accident was a gruesome one,†eye witnesses who were present at the scene when the accident occured told Sierra Express Media. According to a handful that I talked to, the Okada rider was about to over take another Okada man on the road as usual without taking heed of the oncoming cars which eventually knocked the passenger off the bike and his head was smashed and his brain scattered all over the place.
As this was not the first time for such accident to have occurred, and in an all effort to probe in to this Okada menace around the city, one Sergeant Kamara who was on duty on the night of April 21st, 2010 when the accident occurred, told SEM reporter that “this has always been the awful situation with bike riders who fail to obey traffic rules in a rush to make money; many a time they seem to neglect using crash helmets for the safety of passengers and themselves.â€
At first when this Okada transport system started people thought it was going to ease the acute transportation shortage for city commuters; but little did the people realize that the laudable Okada business is going to pose a serious threat to their lives. Today in Freetown people see Okada transport as a faster means to get to their various destinations on time. Yes, some may agree that it is a suitable means to get to one’s destination, but also taking in to cognizance the narrow road network and the congested traffic around town, and imagine you surging through them there is all possibility for accident to come your way.
In the midst of all these dangers that face residents of Freetown, one wonders what has been the role of the Traffic Division in the Sierra Leone Police in curtailing this inevitable Okada accidents that haunt the lives of citizens on a daily basis. Thus, we the citizenry of this country is calling on Government through its Traffic Division to put stringent measures in place to help curb this Okada menace before it claim the lives of other Sierra Leoneans.
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