Ghanaian drivers and zebra crossing

The other time a taxi driver and his able passenger emasculated me with their loudmouth. When I asked them if they know where they are, they asked if my mind works, and then sped off, even throwing more tantrums at me.

My idiocy, per their judgment, was walking gently on the zebra crossing. They were approaching it at

Read full articlea high speed, then I had already taken some two steps on the white striped lines, so they had to stop and afford the precedence to me while I walk my way off.

Ideally, they expected me to trot and quickly depart from the zebra crossing, which I didn’t do. So I was a big fool!

In Ghana, most commercial and private drivers, when they are coming from afar and they could see pedestrians about to or are crossing the road, that’s when they’d step hard on the accelerator, with the thinking that their speeding would compel the pedestrians to cross the road by either trotting or running.

Some drivers believe that they’d die and go to hell, once they slow down for school children to cross the road. If they (drivers) are approaching no one dares to get close, no matter if there’s a zebra crossing or not.

I happened to stay in a few countries abroad. And Italy, for sure, even those hardened racists, while they’re driving and they see a black man, could hurl derogatory names at him.

But one interesting thing I can bear witness about Italians (and Singaporeans etc.,) is that all class of their drivers, once they’re nearing a zebra crossing, they’d slow down, regardless there was a pedestrian or not.

And when there’s a pedestrian they’d come to a stop for the pedestrian to cross the road. If the pedestrian wants to sleep on the zebra crossing, they still had that heavenly patience to wait. Simply because they have been taught to value human life.

But when it comes to Ghana, a taxi driver would regard one as a fool and “unGhanaian”, because one couldn’t have trotted, or run as fast as possible while crossing a road.

Had it not been CCTV cameras installed and visible security personnel at where we (driver, his passenger, and I) had had the verbal brawl, they’d have stopped, and either spared time for a commotion or requested fisticuffs.

I’m beginning to think that until a man turns himself into a zebra with a tail, or could wear white and black attire, the Ghanaian driver isn’t ready to recognize him at the zebra crossing.

Since they perceive that zebra crossing is meant for animals and not humans.