The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has said that speed violations and night travels were the leading causes for the rise in road traffic crashes across Nigeria.
The FRSC Boss stated this at a seminar organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in collaboration with the FRSC in Abuja.
Oyeyemi decried the increasing cases of speed violations which had culminated in numerous fatalities on the road.
According to him, life has no duplicate, and speed violation constitutes the major challenge.
He noted that about 52 per cent of the road crashes recorded were speed-related.
“We arrest an average of 132 offenders based on our daily reports to government and this is associated with lack of speed limit device installation, this year’s Easter patrol will be focused on speed because life has no replacement. We record an average of 89 to 90 deaths per week and sometimes 100.
“Most times, most of these crashes occur at night. When we record crashes at night, most times, we see figures like 19, 17, 14 and 11 deaths.
“All these are avoidable if we can comply with road traffic regulations and I am using this platform to appeal to us to imbibe road safety culture and principles,” he said.
Oyeyemi also urged drivers and motorists on the use of seat belts while driving, adding that the use of cell-phone while driving is still prohibited.
He advised drivers to always keep to one lane while driving, and also desist from jumping traffic as these could lead to road traffic crashes.
He added that the Corps would continue to carry out education, enlightenment and advocacy to help reduce road crashes to the barest minimum.
Also speaking, the Director-General, BPSR, Mr Dasuki Arabi, said road traffic accidents had become a new normal and a reoccurring phenomenon in Nigeria.
This, he said, constitutes a menace in modern times, adding that most vehicular accidents in Nigeria are caused by two main factors, namely human or road.
He said road factors included bad roads, abandoned sites or ongoing sites of repairs, traffic jams, road congestion and many others.
Human factors, he said, included reckless driving, disobeying traffic lights, ill-temper, and impatience on the part of drivers, among others.
Arabi said the event was aimed at helping in dissecting some of the most important issues that bothered on national development.
“As a nation, the safety of our road is one of paramount importance and any measures or decision taken to enhance the safety of citizens on our roads and the county at large should not be taken for granted.”
He commended FRSC for their doggedness, saying that they have been on top of their game to ensure that roast crashes are reduced to the barest minimum.
He further said that; “We are all aware of the staggering statistics of road traffic crashes prior to this time, but we can see how much the figure has reduced in recent times.
“This follows the introduction of digital technology in managing roads and ensuring safety for all of us,” he said.
Arabi encouraged other agencies to emulate the FRSC and do better in carrying out their mandates and record laudable achievements.
The theme of the event was: “Application of Modern Technology and Digitalisation by the FRSC in Reducing Road Traffic Crashes in our Dear Country.”
PIAK
