EID-EL-KABIR: FRSC Corps Marshal Calls For Cautious/Defensive Driving, Deploys Men For Special Patrol
3 min read
By OLALEKAN AYENI
In its bid of ensuring safer road for the users during and after the Eid-Kabir, the Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Shehu Mohammed has urged drivers to dive cautiously while behind the wheels.
He admonished all drivers to adopt defensive driving culture. “Avoid lane indiscipline, road obstructions, use of phone on wheels, overloading, operation of mechanical deficiency/rickety vehicles on roads, loading trailers with goods, animals/passengers, illegal use of spy number plates, always abide by the rules of seat belt and child restraint while driving.”
Mohammed made the appealed during a press conference on Friday, June 14, 2024 at the Corps’ headquarters in Lagos. The Corps Marshal was represented by the Lagos State Sector Commander, CC Patrick Davou.
“It has become a practice for us in FRSC to always acquaint the public with our level of preparedness for festivities just this Eid-el-Kabir celebration. I wish to relate to you some critical road traffic management issues as well as the strategies putting in place to ensure the roads are safe for all to use.
“Some of the challenges confronting the roads now include ugly trend of using trailers and trucks to convey human beings with goods and animals, night trips, fatigue, speed violation, overloading and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Mohammed, said the Corps has flag-off Inter-Agency Joint Task Force to enforce compliance against the use of trailers to convey passengers as well as mitigate road traffic crashes, fatalities and injuries emanating from the lawlessness of trailer drivers. “These JTF has successfully arrested a total number of 222 trailers loaded with 3169 passengers hanging on top of goods and animals,” he added.
Mohammed, said to the Corps has strengthens its collaboration with the Nigeria Bar Association and State Judiciaries for timely prosecution of drivers and vehicle owners caught contravening the established traffic rules and regulations. These violations will be tamed through the instrumentality of mobile Court operations.
He explained that the Corps has collaborate with Beer Sectorial Group (BSG) to ensure adequate breathalysers being deployed to motor parks and highways to check and stop drivers who control the wheels under influence, saying drivers who indulge in substances before mounting on the wheels always end up in fatal crashes.
“This is a deadly road use behaviour that has led to unprecedented crashes and fatalities on the highways.
“In addition to the aforementioned interventions, the corps has also gone into aggressive sensitisation campaigns for all road users. This time around, we are taking it down to their door steps. We have commenced the education of these drivers at their loading bays, transit camps as well as trailer parks. The essence of the exercise is to ensure that the advocacy appeals to the conscience of these drivers against unnecessary contravention of traffic rules.
“The Corps have deployed both Regular and Special Marshals including 743 patrol/184 administrative vehicles, 92 ambulances, 23 tow trucks and 144 motorbikes, reflective jackets, traffic cones, tyre pressure gauges, extricating machines and digital breathalyzer to ensure a safer motoring environment. This will be by checkmating the excess of these drivers any time they transit from one destination to another.
Mohammed called on motorists, especially commuters, that the corps could not achieve a crash free celebration unless they played their part.
