Gbenga Adebija calls for reforms in the wake of the recent AJ accident

The Anthony Joshua incident bears striking similarities to the 1967 automobile crash that claimed the life of American actress Jayne Mansfield. In that tragedy, Mansfield’s Buick collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer on a Louisiana highway. Because the truck lacked a rear underride protection system, the passenger vehicle slid beneath the trailer, resulting in the decapitation of Mansfield and other front-seat occupants. The graphic nature of the crash exposed a critical design flaw in heavy-duty trucks and galvanized public outrage, regulatory scrutiny, but ultimately and very importantly, transformational reforms that fundamentally changed truck safety standards in the United States.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) introduced mandatory requirements for rear underride guards, commonly known as “Mansfield bars.” These reinforced steel structures are installed on the rear of trailers to prevent smaller vehicles from sliding underneath during a collision by forcing an impacting vehicle to strike the guard rather than the trailer body, thereby absorbing crash energy and preserving the integrity of the passenger compartment. While underride crashes still occur, research indicates that such collisions account for roughly one-fifth of truck-related fatalities in the U.S., a figure that would likely be far higher in the absence of these regulations. The Mansfield bar has indisputably reduced the severity and lethality of rear-impact crashes.

Nigeria faces a parallel opportunity for reform in the wake of the Anthony Joshua accident which tragically claimed the lives of two of his best friends. Underride crashes involving articulated trucks are a recurring and often fatal feature of Nigerian road traffic incidents, exacerbated by poor vehicle standards, weak enforcement, and inadequate safety infrastructure. The Joshua incident highlights the same structural deficiency that killed Mansfield decades ago. The absence or inadequacy of underride protection on commercial trucks allows smaller vehicles to slide beneath trailers with catastrophic consequences.

Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) can take decisive action by mandating Mansfield-style underride guards on all commercial trucks operating within the country. This may require amendments to the National Road Traffic Regulations to establish clear technical specifications, compliance timelines, and penalties for non-conformance. To ensure industry cooperation, the Federal government could introduce subsidies or tax incentives to offset retrofit costs for truck owners and fleet operators. These measures must be reinforced by rigorous inspection regimes at ports, licensing centers, and highway checkpoints to prevent circumvention.

Just as Jayne Mansfield’s death served as a catalyst for systemic change in the United States, Joshua’s accident should serve as a warning and a call to action for Nigeria. Proactive adoption of underride protection standards would not merely align Nigeria with global best practices; it would represent a tangible commitment to preserving human life. With consistent enforcement and political will, such reforms could prevent thousands of avoidable deaths each year and mark a turning point in the nation’s approach to road safety.

Travelling through an international airport in Europe recently, I saw wall to wall coverage on mega screens of the AJ accident with the Nigerian flag conspicuously displayed. Definitely not good for Brand Nigeria at all.

The question facing us Nigerians is not whether this reform is necessary but rather if we will learn from AJ's accident before the next similar collision produces an even more tragic outcome. Let us not wait for more tragedies to accumulate before instituting the relevant reforms.

Now is the time to act....

Gbenga Adebija is the Managing Director of CBI Digital Media Ltd.