The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned children, teenagers and young adults against using rolling skate shoes, wheeled footwear and similar recreational devices on public highways and other vehicular corridors across the state.
The Authority said the increasing use of footwear fitted with concealed or retractable wheels on roads meant primarily for motorised traffic poses a serious safety risk, particularly when users glide alongside moving vehicles, cross carriageways indiscriminately or manoeuvre through traffic without adequate protection and adult supervision.
LASTMA, in a statement issued by its Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, noted that public highways are dynamic and unpredictable environments where vehicles, motorcycles, pedestrians and other road users operate simultaneously.
According to the Authority, introducing wheeled recreational devices into such environments could significantly reduce a user’s ability to respond to sudden vehicular movements, potentially resulting in serious collisions and life-altering injuries.
LASTMA therefore urged parents, guardians, schools and caregivers to discourage children and other vulnerable road users from engaging in recreational activities involving wheeled footwear on highways, expressways, bridges, service lanes and other locations where vehicular traffic is permitted.
The Authority advised users of such footwear to restrict their activities to designated recreational facilities, private compounds or other safe environments suitable for skating.
It also recommended the use of appropriate protective equipment, including helmets, knee pads and elbow pads, whenever such recreational activities are undertaken in suitable environments.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said road safety remained a collective responsibility requiring constant vigilance, discipline and respect for the risks associated with public roads.
Bakare-Oki stressed that the preservation of human life must remain paramount, adding that no recreational activity should justify exposing individuals or other road users to unnecessary danger.
He also appealed to motorists to exercise heightened vigilance around children and young persons using wheeled footwear, particularly in residential areas, estates, school zones and other locations where vulnerable road users could suddenly enter the traffic stream.
LASTMA further called on members of the public to promptly report dangerous traffic situations, road obstructions, crashes, vehicle breakdowns and other incidents requiring urgent traffic-management intervention through its toll-free short code 3367.
The Authority said prompt reporting would facilitate timely intervention by relevant responders and help minimise the impact of traffic incidents.
LASTMA reiterated its commitment to protecting lives, promoting responsible road-user behaviour and sustaining a safer and more orderly transportation environment across Lagos State.
It stressed that safety on Lagos roads remains a shared civic responsibility requiring the cooperation of motorists, pedestrians, parents, schools and other road users.
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