ALCOHOL, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND HAULAGE: WAY FORWARD

Alcohol and Trucking

There is no doubt that there is a relatively high level of information and knowledge concerning the presence, availability and use of alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and cannabis among trailer-tanker drivers.

A significant proportion of the tanker drivers use psychoactive substances during stop over with the most commonly used drug being alcohol. The use of non-commercial alcohol is quite prevalent among the respondents both while at the motor parks and just before leaving home. There is a need for more concerted education on the dangers of alcohol and other drugs to be specifically targeted at trailer-tanker drivers in Nigeria. The focus overtime has been on passenger transportation. However, bad driving on the part of the truck driver is in itself a clear and present danger to passenger transportation. Fixing this unhealthy skewness in drunk-driving sensitization will further enhance responsible drinking which will in turn reduce hazardous use of alcohol and other psychoactive substances and their medical, psychosocial, environmental and legal consequences.

The most predictive factors for current drug use were presence of multiple sex partners. It will therefore not be out of place to dedicate a substantial part of the drug abuse campaign to educating drivers and residents at these truck stops on the danger of multiple sex partners.

There is also a need to step up the process of enactment of law to determine legal alcohol drinking limit in Nigeria so that ‘drinking under influence’ and all its attendant consequences, can be addressed through education and strict enforcement of regulations guiding it.

Institutional framework may also need to be created to drive each and every haulage/logistics organisation into taking definite position and drawing out action plans aimed at arresting incidences of drug and alcohol abuse amongst its workforce.

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