The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Anambra State Command has flagged off the 2023 Ember Months Safety Campaign in Anambra State.
The State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo urged motorists to compliment the efforts of government and FRSC by obeying traffic rules.
According to Soludo, “Statistics around the world show that 90% of crashes are based on human error. This includes intake of substances, not being in the right mental state, and arguments with neighbours, among others.
“Everyone should be safety conscious. I seize this opportunity to advise private drivers, especially young male and female drivers who insist their children must sit in the front seat of their vehicles to desist from such acts.
“Some fathers, in their ability to show love to their children, go to the extent of carrying them on their laps to drive. This is very dangerous both to you and the baby.
“The best way to show such love to the child is to keep him on the back seat and inside a baby seater. No matter how the child cries, it’s better he cries and be alive than to show such love and regret forever.”
The Governor further advised those traveling with public transport to ensure they examine the state of both the driver and the vehicle before boarding.
He said; “Government can do a lot but there are those you can do for yourself. The ability to save our lives is in our hands.
“When all these are taken care of, chances of naming one old man or woman in your village as being responsible for one’s death will be minimised.”
The Governor was represented by the Commissioner for Transport, Mrs Patricia Igwebuike at the event.
On his part, the FRSC Sector Commander, Adeoye Irelewuyi described the campaign as apt and inclusive, saying it would cover the “3” RTC main causative factors of speeding, overloading, and use of unsafe tires.
Speaking further, Irelewuyi said, “In Nigeria, available statistics show that more than 60 percent of road traffic crash occurrences are due to speeding.
“One of the things that make people go above the speed limit is when they are delayed due to bad roads. When the roads are bad, motorists encounter delays in travel time.
“If the roads are good, people can plan their travel and there will be no need to over-speed. I want to commend Gov. Soludo who had diligently embarked on fixing the roads in all the nooks and crannies of the state.”
He said; “I believe that the road construction and rehabilitation are efforts and support for road safety because they will help to curb speed violations and crashes on our roads.”
The Sector Commander said that the Ember months campaign was to sensitize road users to drive safely, avoid overloading, and imbibe a safer road culture to reduce accidents.
He stated that “the Command would deploy technologies such as Radar Guns to measure the speed of vehicles as well as Alcolizer for drug and alcohol testing in drivers.”
“These Ember months, the Command is stepping up public enlightenment activities in motor parks, media as well as patrol enforcement activities across the state.
“This is because we usually have an upsurge in traffic volume and there are usually increases in road traffic crashes. We urge motorists to cooperate with the corps as we work to reduce the rate of fatalities in the state, “he said.
The 2023 campaign had the theme – “Speed Thrills But Kills, Drive Responsibly and Avoid Overloading.”
Mercy Chukwudiebere
