The Green Man

Road Safety

Date line was Wednesday, 11th March, 2026 at about 1.35pm or thereabout. I was driving from Jahi heading to Gwarinpa, Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory when the traffic light just by Next Cash and Carry Supermarket signalled vehicles coming from Jahi, and Mabushi, to stop for pedestrians.

Because this was the closing period for schools, a handful of pupils from the Junior Secondary School, Kado-Kacharaba were seen crossing from their school located opposite the Supermarket. My first shock was not the infraction committed by the pupils while crossing. It was the sheer ‘madness’ displayed by a good number of drivers who failed to yield a way for these pupils to cross over. One, or two drivers were in too much of a hurry to come to a halt. There was also the absence of a traffic officer from the school or a traffic officer appointed by either of the traffic services to assist or for such safety assistance. 

It was then I took the liberty to confirm the level of safety education displayed by these pupils while crossing. That was my greatest shock. Except for a few, the rest alongside their teachers displayed ignorance of the workings of the “Green Man”. They did not just ignore the guidance of the Green Man, they committed another traffic offence by crossing in-between vehicles, blinding their sight.

That is why my focus for today is on this celebrated traffic man from ‘Mars’. I told you both the pupils and teachers were guilty, so it is not just about our younger pupils but even adults and, worse still, drivers. I may not have the statistics but this ugly situation is common where public schools are cited compared to private schools. While we pray against a knock-down, do you know the global number of deaths due to pedestrians not complying with the Green Man’s signal? Do you know that it is difficult to isolate traffic deaths, as many traffic reports focus on overall intersection fatalities or driver non-compliance?Do you also know that failure to obey traffic signals by both drivers and pedestrians is a major contributor to fatal crashes? I know there is a dearth in data with respect to this in our clime, but the figures for non-compliance in developed climes are disturbing. For instance, in the United States, about 28 percent of fatal crashes at traffic-controlled intersections occur because a driver runs a red light.

In the same US, the report shows that in 2017, 939 people were killed in such accidents. Meanwhile, approximately 10 to 19 percent of pedestrians’ fatalities at intersections occurred during the red light when pedestrians were violating the signal. This date rate is in tandem with the global statistics which says that over half of traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Do you also know that in busy cities such as Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, among others, traffic lights are often taken for granted not just by all categories of drivers, but including siren blaring government drivers. Drivers such as the ones I cited recently watch for traffic lights to change from red to green while motorcycles display their dexterity by weaving through traffic. Vulnerable pedestrians, on the other hand, hurry to cross the roads, hoping to beat the light and crazy drivers.

In the midst of this ‘madness’ that has claimed lives, one of the simplest and vital symbols for vulnerable pedestrians’ safety is the “Green Man”. I am talking about the illuminated walking figure on pedestrians’ traffic lights that signals when it is safe to cross the road. This small icon is a life saver, yet like most life savers such as seatbelts and crash helmets, are often ignored.

Kudos to our government for their effort in not making traffic light signals an exclusive preserve of big city centres, such as Abuja, Lagos, or Port Harcourt. Unfortunately, while the government’s ‘generosity’ is acknowledged, compliance is a far- cry. This pedestrian signal usually displays two images: a red standing figure telling pedestrians to wait and a green walking figure; Green Man which signals pedestrians to cross.

These human shaped symbols are simple and easy to read for all ages; children, tourists and all categories of road users irrespective of their literacy. The novelty of this symbol is to separate pedestrians and vehicle movements in line with the safe system approach. It helps in temporarily stopping vehicles so that pedestrians can safely walk across.

Its novelty dates back to the mid-twentieth century when cities became busier with increased fatalities and there was a need to bring control, promote safety and above all protect the vulnerable pedestrians. The Green Man in line with the United Nations’ conventions on signs and signals has become universal with the same message.

In some parts of the world, it is accompanied by a countdown timer, showing the seconds remaining for pedestrians, thus helping them to cross safely. Others have audible sounds for the visually impaired. I admire the level of novelty in the concept design and its universal appeal through the instrumentality of the United Nations conventions.

The new changes being introduced to capture all categories of pedestrians and other road users excites me. But while we give all those involved in this life saving novelty their flowers, its value in curbing traffic light intersections fatalities, lies on human adaptability-how roads users such as the ones cited comply with its signals.

It is dangerous to feign ignorance of the symbol or to ignore it when prompted, like the pupils did, as well as some drivers. The rule is that even when there are no vehicles in sight, you must cross only when the Green Man prompts you to cross.

Road safety experts emphasise that obeying pedestrian signals is just as important as drivers obeying traffic lights. The Green Man is designed to protect lives, but it can only do so when people respect the signal.

In our cities where there are rapid population growth and increased motorization, pedestrian safety is a critical component in infrastructural development. In fact, I was stunned when I drove through Karu to Jikwoi down to Kurudu in the Federal Capital Territory and marvelled at the number of functional traffic lights installed by the government.

Some of those routes notorious for traffic infractions, wore a born again look as there was a measure of traffic sanity as these traffic lights seemed to have curbed some of the inherent madness of commercial motorcycle operators, popularly known as ‘okada’ and tricycle operators, known as ‘keke’ riders. Sustaining these infrastructural developments complimented by strict compliance, road traffic crashes and fatalities will reduce comparatively. Going forward, our traffic engineers should not just install but ensure functionality while advocacies, public enlightenment, as well as consequence management be enhanced to deter traffic disobedience. What the school cited has revealed is that the Federal Road Safety Corps and its partners should sustain the abandoned, look-left-look-right, look-left school campaigns to raise and sustain awareness of the Green Man and other traffic rules. The domesticated public awareness campaigns should be evaluated and sustained to reach other publics of the Corps.

The synergy between the Corps, and other strategic partners should be sustained to keep these lights functional to curb road traffic crashes. The Green Man saves lives not when he counts or dances but when those concerned, such as pedestrians, as well as drivers, comply as a demonstration of our shared responsibilities in saving lives. And as we prepare for another series of festivities for both the Muslims and Christians, we look forward to a more responsible road mannerisms where the Green Man promptings are obeyed by all irrespective of religious inclinations, leading to fewer crashes and no deaths.