TheCable

The Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) says it is an offence for a vehicle to break down and obstruct traffic flow. 

The regulatory agency made this known in a post on its Twitter handle on Sunday.

“#DoYouKnow that it’s a traffic offence if your vehicle breaks down and obstructs free flow of traffic?” the tweet read.

#DoYouKnow
That it's a traffic offence if your vehicle breaks down and obstructs free flow of traffic?#FollowLASTMA pic.twitter.com/kKlTC1wcvo

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— LASTMA (@followlastma) March 20, 2022

In response, several Twitter users complained that the breakdown of vehicles should not be an offence, as it may not be the fault of the driver.

Explaining to TheCable, Olumide Filade, LASTMA spokesperson, said the agency has legal backing on the rule.

He said the responsibility to ensure a vehicle is in good condition lies with the car owner.

Filade said any road obstruction as a result of vehicle breakdown has penalties such as payment of obstruction fine.

“The onus or the responsibility of your vehicle moving from point A to point B without causing an obstruction for anybody rests on the owner of the vehicle,” he said.

“That is why even on traffic radio, there is a jingle that they play that ensures you check your vehicle in the morning to ensure it will be able to make the journey to and fro without causing any problem on the road.

“Our own job is to make sure that when there is a breakdown of vehicles on the road, we are supposed to move it quickly off the road so that it will not be an obstruction to other people.

“So that gives us legal backing. The law that sets up LASTMA which is reviewed in 2018, known as the Lagos Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 reemphasises that.”

Asked what the penalty is when a car breaks down on the road, Filade said: “You will be given obstruction fine and you will also pay the towing fee.”