The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has warned children, teenagers and young adults against using rolling skate shoes, wheeled footwear and similar recreational devices on public highways across Lagos.
LASTMA said the growing practice poses serious and avoidable dangers, particularly where skaters glide alongside moving vehicles, cross carriageways or manoeuvre through traffic without adequate protective equipment or adult supervision.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said highways are fundamentally different from designated recreational areas because motorists, motorcycles, pedestrians and other road users move simultaneously in an unpredictable environment.
According to him, introducing wheeled recreational devices into such traffic conditions can reduce a skater’s ability to react quickly to sudden vehicle movements, increasing the possibility of collisions and potentially life-altering injuries.
LASTMA consequently advised parents, guardians, schools and caregivers to discourage children and other young persons from skating on highways, expressways, bridges, service lanes and other roads open to vehicular traffic.
The agency urged skaters to restrict the activity to designated recreational facilities, private compounds and other safe locations. It also recommended the use of helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and other appropriate protective equipment.
Motorists were equally advised to exercise greater caution around children and young people using wheeled footwear, especially in residential areas, estates and school zones where they could unexpectedly enter the roadway.
Bakare-Oki stressed that road safety remained a collective responsibility, adding that protecting human life should take precedence over recreational activities that expose participants or other road users to unnecessary danger.
LASTMA also urged members of the public to report dangerous traffic situations, crashes, road obstructions and vehicle breakdowns requiring urgent intervention through its toll-free short code, 3367.
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