The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has warned motorists in Nigeria to ensure strict compliance with all traffic rules and regulations and proper maintenance of vehicles on the highways, as there will be no waiver for any traffic violations.
The warning issued on Thursday was part of efforts to ensure safer highways, especially during the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
At the official flag-off of a patrol exercise in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, the FRSC Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, said the intensive special patrol was aimed at addressing the spate of avoidable road crashes usually associated with the surge of human and vehicular traffic across Nigeria during festive period.
The FRSC boss also announced that over 700 patrol vans and ambulances had been deployed across major highways nationwide, while more officers had also been sent out to major roads to ensure orderliness and safety of commuters
He explained that the incidence of fatal road accidents in Nigeria was phenomenal.
Safety Of Road Users
Trend analysis of fatal road accidents between 2006 and 2014 shows that at least 15,090 lives were lost to fatal road accidents in 3,075 events.
Statistics also revealed that the number of road accidents and related fatalities were always high during festive season and were largely caused by reckless behaviour, coupled with bad state of the roads.
While road traffic crashes are avoidable, the FRSC maintains that “only compliance with best practices of road use will guaranty the safety of all road users”.
