The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced plans to launch a special patrol team to enforce traffic rules on Nigerian roads.
This came against the backdrop of recent accidents in Niger, Sabon Wuse and Kaduna states, which claimed 109 lives.
FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, during a stakeholders meeting, on Thursday in Abuja, said the corps will intensify its enforcement of traffic laws round the clock to reduce the alarming rate of road accidents in Nigeria.
Muhammed identified negligence, fatigue, speeding, night driving and dangerous driving as reasons for the three fatal road accidents that occurred between September 8 and 15, 2024.
He said the recent series of accidents was nevertheless very worrying and that all measures should be taken to prevent them from happening again in the future.
The Corps Marshal said that despite the measures taken by the FRSC through the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS), which was launched in September 2007 to address the chaos associated with fleet operations in the country, there seemed to be a great need to do so.
He said it had therefore become necessary to involve fleet operators in minimum safety standards through driver training and retraining.
“It is with a deep sense of concern that I wish to address this meeting of stakeholders and the press today.
“This briefing is expected to address current road safety challenges such as transportation of flammable substances, night travel, speeding, overloading and loading of passengers and goods.
“It also aims to address the devastating effects of such acts on the country’s roads.
“It is in this context that I have ordered commanders to ensure the permanent application of traffic violations in order to mitigate these excesses.
“A special patrol operation will be launched and the law will be enforced throughout the country,” he said.
“While the government continues to do its best to provide and maintain transport facilities in line with global best practices, some road users, especially drivers, have continued to flout this concerted effort.
“This has been achieved by displaying a high level of recklessness on the road,” he said.
The whistler No fewer than 48 people are reported to have lost their lives in a petrol tanker explosion that occurred on the Bida-Agaie-Lapai highway in Niger on September 8.
Another 21 people were killed in another accident involving a truck and a commercial bus in Sabon Wuse area of Katsina State on September 12, while 40 people also lost their lives on September 15 after a bus conveying Eid-el Maulud celebrants lost control due to overspeeding and overloading in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
