Skip to main content

Transport Minister Reveals Real Cause of Most Road Accidents

 The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said reckless driving was responsible for most road accidents and not bad roads.

The minister, therefore, called for the review of the highway codes to ensure stiffer penalty for road traffic offenders, which would help to reduce road traffic crashes and carnages on the highway.

Amaechi spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the Easter mega rally organised by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Amaechi assured that the ministry and the FRSC would work together to ensure that the laws were reviewed.


He said when this is done, those who overload their vehicle, drive while drunk or drive recklessly, will be more careful.

According to him, if a driver knows that he will go to jail if he drives recklessly, he will take caution.

“It will be easy for the drivers to understand this when you tell them and that is why we are here today to ensure that we have a safe celebration now and beyond.

“A situation where by the law is reviewed and categorically states that when you overload your vehicle, drunk drive or drive recklessly, you will be jailed, then, every driver will be conscious.

“Most accident you see today are not caused by bad roads but the recklessness of the drivers on the roads.

“I want to urge all drivers to be cautious of not just them but the passengers they carry. Safety is paramount, ” he said.

The Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, commended the transport unions for ensuring that vehicles were not overloaded from the parks, adding that the union had also help in observing the COVID-19 protocols.

Oyeyemi noted that the major problems the corps was facing at the moment were crashes at night, adding that 200 lives were lost in January alone.

He added that although the crashes had reduced, the corps was working towards reduction to the barest minimum in the second quarter of the year and even beyond.

Oyeyemi assured the public on improvement of the corps by second quarter, saying that FRSC would bring in more measures that would help the corps to an acceptable level.

In his address, the Corps Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Bisi Kazeem, said that road traffic crashes “do not just happen, adding that they were caused and could be prevented.

He said that with obedience to traffic rules and regulations, road traffic crashes could be reduced.

Kazeem said that Easter is a period of high human and vehicular traffic for which the corps always make adequate preparations for effective traffic management.

“Mega rallies like this also afford us opportunity to expand our campaigns to larger participants, especially at the motor parks to enlighten, warn and educate drivers.

”We used opportunities like this to educate members of the public on the need for them to be safety conscious while using the road, ” he said.

The representative of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Mr Yusuf Othman, urged FRSC to extend the initiative to tanker drivers adding that it would help reduce tanker crashes in the country.

Othman said that the corps had been advocating for safety saying that the association would continue to support and ensure the Easter celebration was free of road traffic crashes.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ooni Dismiss Rumours of Resurgence of Ife-Modakeke War

  The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has rubbished the reports that farmers killed in Toro village, Modakeke is a renewed crisis between Modakeke and Ife. Ooni described the killing in Modakeke as sheer criminality. "What happened at Toro village was sheer criminality and the long hand of the law would soon catch up with the perpetrators,” Ooni stated. He noted that attachment of communal coloration to the killing is an attempt by mischief makers to derail security operatives who are on top of the matter. Oba Adeyeye in a release by Moses Olafare, his director of media and public affairs said he received the report of the killing on Friday with serious concern. The monarch said the matter has been reported to the appropriate security agencies who have swung into action. Ooni warned that the Ife-Modakeke crisis has long been resolved and the killings should not be linked to the long resolved crisis. Oba Adeyeye thanked the Osun government, security agencies, and vigilante...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gunmen invade Edo community, kill 3, abduct 13 children, women

  Heavily-armed gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have reportedly invaded Emokpae community, in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, where they killed three persons. The invaders were said to have also hijacked a bus conveying 13 passengers, including school children and market women, and marched them into the forest. he people of Emokpae community staged a peaceful protest to the State Government House in Benin on Friday. Spokesman for the community who gave his name simply as Egua, told journalists that the 13 passengers were still being held captives by the gunmen. Egua, who claimed to be the local leader of Edo State Security Network, disclosed that the kidnappers had contacted the family of a female hostage, demanding for a whopping N20 million ransom. “Yesterday, as at 3 pm, when our children were returning from school from the neighbouring community, the herdsmen invaded the road, took our children, even the bike men that went to take them from the school...
Post a Comment
Read more

Governor Ortom Eulogizes Late Pa Jerome, Father of Ex-BERWASSA Boss

  ….As family announces burial arrangements   Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has extolled the Late Pa Jerome Abalike Ella, father of his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Water Resources, Engr. Ejembi Ella, and his indelible legacies.   This is coming as the family announces the burial arrangements for the deceased whose death occurred last month, December 27, 2022.   Ortom described  the deceased  as a renowned community leader who was humble, hardworking and dedicated his life to the service of God and humanity until his demise.   In a condolence letter on behalf of his family, the government and people of Benue State to the SSA, a copy of which Humanity Watch obtained, the governor stated that the transition of Pa Jerome at a time his wise counsel was most needed, has created a vacuum in the family that will be difficult to fill.   The governor however, urged the SSA on Water Resources who is also the immediate past General Ma...
1 comment
Read more