ROAD INTOLERANCE IN PARAKOU: When Road Users’ Composure Evaporates into Aggression
In Parakou, daily traffic frequently devolves into a free-for-all. Between incessant horn-honking, harsh insults, and repeated incivilities, the composure of road users seems to have evaporated, replaced by a climate of constant aggression.
During peak hours, navigating certain main thoroughfares or taking the connection linking the Dépôt market to the city center, or the university to the Arzèkè market, turns into a grueling ordeal. The streets of Parakou have become the stage for palpable tension where courtesy no longer has a place. Over a simple hesitation or a tight pass, insults fly in Bariba, Fon, or Dendi. « We don’t talk to each other anymore; we yell at each other. If you slow down for a second to let a pedestrian cross, you get thoroughly insulted by those behind you, » laments Ousmane, a zemidjan (motorcycle taxi) driver for over ten years.
This widespread intolerance stems from chronic indiscipline. Incivility is on full display: running red lights, passing on the right, failing to yield, and the chaotic occupation of sidewalks by street vendors. The road, instead of being a shared space, is treated like an arena ruled by the law of the strongest or the most rushed. Two-wheeler riders, who make up the vast majority of traffic in the Northern metropolis, pay a heavy price for this relational hostility, often under the helpless eyes of public security officers.
Beyond sound pollution and the erosion of social harmony, this aggressive behavior behind the wheel or handlebars carries real dangers. Frustration leads to unnecessary risk-taking, driving up the number of minor collisions and serious accidents. The stress built up in traffic then spills over into homes and workplaces, poisoning the daily lives of Parakou residents.
Faced with this deteriorating traffic environment, police enforcement alone will not solve everything. A collective wake-up call is urgently needed: targeted awareness campaigns on traffic laws and civic responsibility are essential to remind everyone that road safety begins first and foremost with mutual respect.
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