Road Accident and its Impacts on the Environment: The Case of Oil Tanker Accident in the South-East Nigeria

Abstract

The study focused on revealing the impact of road accident on the environment. A study of oil tanker accident, which is common in the country, is carried out in the south east Nigeria. The recorded available data on oil tanker accident were sourced from Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Federal Road Safety Corp. The data was subjected to descriptive statistics and qualitatively analyzed. Oil tanker accident record for nine incidences in the south east Nigeria shows that 533 people were burn died, 317 people injured, total area spillage of 12250m2, and about #807.81 Million of property damaged. The researcher discovered the impact of oil tanker accidents as; air pollution, climate change, soil quality and destroyed vegetation, noise, distortion of urban landscape and agricultural land, health hazard. The researcher summarized that oil tanker accidents have caused enormous environmental, human and material losses. The study therefore suggests traffic management. In this case, oil tanker should not be allowed to ply on the road during peak periods with other kinds of vehicles. There should be a time frame preferably from 9pm to 6am when the road is less congested from pedestrian and other kinds of vehicular movement. This could
serve as a temporary measure while the country should carry out the implementation plan of reviving railway transportation in the country so that petroleum products could be convey by train services as it was in the early days. This will drastically reduce oil tanker accident and its impact on the environment.