I've heard stories of stray tyres wreaking havoc on speeding vehicles on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Exressway many times, but have never experienced it.
Driving from
Berger to Arepo on Friday, I came very close to it.
Just a little
after Kara bridge, a huge tyre bounced from the median into the Ibadan-bound
traffic. It was of the biggest type, and I had no idea if it was rolled by
someone or it came off a speeding trailer.
I was
probably doing between 80 and 100kph and had barely passed when it actually
landed on the fast lane and rolled across the rest of the lanes.
An unfortunate
driver collided with it at full speed, smashing the tyre into shreds and
wrecking the entire front of the vehicle. But the driver remained calm and
managed to let the car coast to a stop. It could have been worse. A wide swerve
would have led the driver to lose control, or he could have run into another fast
moving vehicle.
The incident
serves as a reminder why a motorist should have his two hands firmly on the
wheels, especially when doing anything more than 80kph.
At high
speeds, when an emergency occurs, such as an unexpected object bounding towards
you, you have only nanoseconds to react. Scrambling the second hand to take necessary
action may take most of the nanoseconds needed to save the day.
Yes, you
sometimes get weary planting both hands on the steering, and yes, it is cool
driving with one hand on the steering while planting the second hand on the car
window. But an emergency does not serve a prior notice and it could make the
difference between life and death.
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