SHA’ABAN 4, 1429 A.H.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6 2008
Print This Page 
Imam calls for tougher punishment for reckless driving
The Chief Imam of Ibn Abbas Mosque in Bauchi metropolis, Malam Salihu Imam, has called for tougher punishment against reckless driving in an effort to reduce the rate of motor traffic accidents.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday in Bauchi, Imam said many road accidents in the state were caused by recklessness and ignorance among drivers.
He said Islam had very high regard for human life and stressed that it was wrong for motorists to cause death or suffering to passengers through recklessness and ignorance.
The Imam said if government imposed tougher sanctions for such behaviour, many reckless drivers and motorcyclists would appreciate the need to be orderly on the roads.
He called on the government to order drivers, who caused accidents through recklessness, negligence and ignorance to pay compensation to their victims.
“The offenders should be forced to pay compensation to the families of their victims, especially if the victim died,” Imam said.
According to him, Islam provides that any person who causes the cutting off of another person’s finger pays four camels as compensation.
He noted that if compensation for one finger was four camels or its equivalent in cash, the cost of life should be much higher.
Imam singled out commercial drivers and motorcyclists as the worst road traffic offenders and called on NURTW to blacklist any driver found over-speeding or disobeying traffic rules.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that recently, the Wards Head Union in Bauchi cried out over recklessness among commercial motorcyclists, which often led to accidents on the roads.
