Lagos Governor: Why we’re pegging commercial drivers’ working hours

Lagos State Government has hinged its decision to implement the provisions of its 2012 Road Traffic Law (RTL) on restrictions of operations of commercial drivers to eight hours per day on the need to preserve the health and safety of drivers and other road users.
According to Section 44 (1a, b & c) of the Lagos Road Traffic Law 2012, drivers are not supposed to work more than a cumulative eight hours per day for them not to be fatigued while driving.
But some commercial drivers in the state were already entertaining fears and panic over the directive.
Sate Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, however, in a statement said the directive became necessary because many drivers have been flouting the law by driving long hours per day without a thought for the health, safety and security implications on themselves and other road users.
He said by maintaining the cumulative working hours per day as stipulated in the law, drivers, their passengers and other road users would be guaranteed safety through defensive driving as they would be alert to take control of situations on the road while on wheels.
“Since drivers are engaged in gainful employment and are contributing to the economy of the state, their condition of service should be of interest to government such that they will not be subjected to harsh conditions that would affect their health and, by implication, put their passengers and other road users at risk,” he said.
He added that the limitation of working hours was not different from what obtains in both the formal public and private sectors where working period do not exceed eight hours at a stretch with a provision for a break in order to refresh.