By Frank Momoh
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) over the week end revealed that road crashes has reduced by 18.6 percent, this is according to the outcome
of its recent end of year special patrol report for 2018 tagged, operation zero tolerance for road tolerance for traffic crashes.
According to findings, road fatality dropped from 338 in 2017 to 275 in 2018 with a difference of 63 representing 18.6%.
The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, made the disclosure in a review of the 2018 special end of year patrol which commenced on 20 December 2018 and lasted till Tuesday, 15 January 2019.
The Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, in a statement averred the special patrol attracted various innovations, among which were establishment of more help centres, deployment of more personnel and logistics as well as creation of alternative routes for motorists with greater coverage of crash prone corridors across the country.
According to the report of the exercise, the overall result shows some levels of improvement in certain areas over that of the previous year. For instance, while a total of 540 crashes were recorded in 2017 as against 542 in 2018 representing 0.4% increase, the number of people involved reduced from 4,418 in 2017 to 4,375 in 2018 which is a difference of 43 representing 1% reduction.
“The total number of people rescued without injury within the period in 2018 was 2,136 as against 2,041 in 2017, an increase of 95 persons representing 4.6%. In the same vein, the total number of people injured in 2018 were 1,964 as against 2,040 recorded in 2017 which was a difference of 376 representing 18.6% reduction ,” the Corps Marshal revealed.
The report further indicates that the Corps recorded 6 fatal crashes in Darazo Local government Area of Bauchi state with the highest number of casualties in which one of the crashes claimed 16 lives while the rest led to the death of 29 people. “The most frequent offences within the period of the patrol were Seatbelt violation, tyre violation, riding motorcycle without helmets and violation against use of Speed limit devices,” he added.
Kazeem said it was however sadly noted that there was an increased number of children involved and killed in the crashes during the period, making it imperative that the Corps put in place necessary measures to curb the incidents.
According to the report, a total of 393 children were involved in the crashes in 2018 as against 350 in 2017, with a difference of 43 representing 12% increase. Furthermore, while 24 children were killed in 2017, the number increased to 29 in 2018 with a difference of 5 representing 21% increase.
To address these challenges, he said the commission is coming up with a national summit that would be focused fully on child safety, stressing that that will be done in conjunction with some women related NGOs including National Council of Women Society (NCWS), National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Military and Paramilitary Officers Wives Associations including ROSOWA POWA, NAOWA, NAFOWA, NNOWA from the military and Police as well as those of other paramilitary organisations.
He said the operation is an annual special end of year patrol that is undertaken by the FRSC to address the perennial challenges of road obstruction, gridlocks, crashes and death experienced during the Yuletide periods which normally attract increased human and vehicular movements across the country.