The Federal Road Safety Corps has urged citizens to refrain from embarking on nighttime travel during the last four months of the year, citing poor visibility due to darkness and the increased number of road accidents emanating from nighttime travel and speeding.
The acting Corps Marshal, Ali Biu, stated this during a press conference with journalists in Abuja on Thursday while noting that the FRSC was targeting minimal road crashes and zero fatalities during the period. He added that the Corps had deployed massive personnel to all strategic roads across the nation, as part of the measures to achieve the target.
Biu said, “Worthy of note is the alarming rate of crashes and fatalities that occur as a result of night trips. The most recent crashes and fatalities recorded by the FRSC happened on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ogun State; a situation that has become worrisome and demands an urgent need to be brought to a halt. During these ‘ember months,’ travellers must endeavour as much as possible to avoid night trips due to poor visibility, excessive speed, and other unhealthy driving behaviours associated with driving during dark hours on Nigerian roads. “Travelling at night is risky for all road users, and this must be avoided to save lives.”
He noted that as part of measures put in place to guarantee a safer motoring environment, especially during the Ember Months, the Corps came up with the idea of special patrols and mega public enlightenment rallies in motor parks, which involve the massive deployment of personnel and logistics to motor parks for aggressive sensitization and the roads, particularly around identified black spots, for the containment of the perennial traffic gridlocks and the accompanying hazards.
He added, “Toward this year’s exercise, we embarked on elaborate studies along identified black spots to determine the immediate and remote causes of the gridlocks and to mobilise relevant stakeholders to collectively address the challenges and embark on public enlightenment programmes. The Corps also came up with the idea of enhancing patrol operations by ensuring massive deployments of personnel and logistics along the major highways to minimise road crashes and achieve zero fatalities during the period.
“We urge drivers to avoid speeding, overloading, and the use of unsafe tyres. Given our findings that speed-related road crashes account for over 70% of the causative factors of road crashes, the Corps has initiated measures of speed control in collaboration with various stakeholders. Notable amongst these efforts is the introduction of a speed limiting device as approved by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, with effective enforcement going on since 2015; and its compulsory usage by commercial drivers. This resolve was orchestrated to ensure that speed-related crashes and the fatalities they cause are adequately reduced.
Biu also noted that there’s been an aggressive clampdown on unregistered motorcycles across the country, adding that it was necessary for curbing the activities of criminals.
He said, “Since the commencement of the special operations, the FRSC has been able to effect the arrest of over 13,081 motorcycle riders, impound over 2823 motorbikes, record a total of 36,884 new motorcycle registrations in that operation, and complete the upload of 101,859 into the national vehicle identification scheme database from the date of commencement of this operation. The successes recorded were partly triggered by the aggressive public education campaign on the importance of motorcycle registration to national security.
“In addition, the Corps conducted the operation, having about 849 engagements with the State Board of Internal Revenues nationwide during the period. Also, during the enforcement exercise, about 2,389 motorcycles with no number plates were arrested.
