The Seven Types of Drivers in Nigeria: Which One Are You?

The Seven Types of Drivers in Nigeria: Which One Are You?

There are many people driving vehicles today who are still meant to be in the driving school, many drivers do not know the rules of driving. Your car should be well taken care of, hence, you have to understand the mindset of the different types of drivers in the country.

Please note that this discourse is not a generalization. In other words, it doesn’t necessarily mean that these are the exact type of people you’ll meet using the Nigerian roads daily, we might have different opinions about this and hence, you’re free to add yours. Here are the types of people you’re probably going to meet while using a Nigerian road from my experience.

1. The learners

The first category is the learners. These set of people are usually slow and always stay at a particular side of a lane so as to make space for other oncoming drivers that will be overtaking them because of ‘speedophobia’. They barely know a thing about using the road. They usually don’t seem to understand or use most important road signals. Some in this category instead of using the learner sign, they’ll choose not to because they feel it’s degrading.

2. The meticulous drivers

This category comprises mostly of old men and few women. They strive towards perfection while using the road. They barely overtake any vehicle and when they do, it’s probably the slow trucks and tankers. They always strive to maintain an average speed and wouldn’t mind if they are overtaken by lots of vehicles. Almost every dad and old person in Nigeria falls in this category.

3. The rough riders/speeders

This category consists mainly of young boys, with their flashy cars who think they’re in the fast and furious movie or they’re a driver in the need for speed game. They drive to overtake every other road user like it’s a car racing with loud music emanating from their vehicle. This category runs into the risk of road accidents mostly. The often times act as competitors on the road who constantly need to get ahead of other drivers and is constantly annoyed when someone gets in the way. That driver can be identified by the constant need to accelerate when someone tries to overtake them or closing the gap to prevent someone from getting in front of them. This is the category where danfo drivers fall.

4. The road greeters

This is one of the annoying category of road users. They are the ones that stop their vehicles on the lane just to start exchanging greetings or passing information instead of parking by the side of the road hence, blocking other oncoming vehicles and the more annoying part is that people will be complaining and shouting at the duo, they still will act deaf and continue conversing.

5. The unnecessarily slow pokes

This is the most annoying category of all. This category just slows their vehicles in an expressway just for nothing sake making every other vehicle following them to maintain the same speed with their vehicle till you find a space to overtake them. I once had an experience that made me feel like going back to ram the man’s trunk.

6. The Stoppers

This category derives joy in stepping on their car brakes unnecessarily. They step on their brakes even when the need is not there and it is more annoying when you’re directly following the vehicle on an expressway because (s)he will keep showing you the brake light and sometimes will stop abruptly and before you can interpret the signal, you’re already in collision with the bumper probably because of the speed you were maintaining.

7. The Know it All

The next type is The Know-it-All, who thinks they are surrounded “by incompetent fools” and often keep themselves happy by shouting condescendingly at other drivers while being protected in their vehicle.