FRSC Warns Kwara Motorists Against Speeding Amid Rising Road Accidents

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kwara Command, has warned motorists in the state to stop speeding due to increased road accidents.

Mr. Muftau Irekeola, Sector Commander, FRSC, Kwara, said this on Thursday in Ilorin during a sensitization organized for motorists to curb incessant road traffic crashes.

Irekeola said that, among other things, section 10, subsection 3(c) of the FRSC Establishment Act, 2007, saddled FRSC with the responsibility of educating drivers, motorists, and the public on the proper use of highways.

“The sudden increase in road traffic deaths is largely attributed to tanker and trailer drivers who often overload their vehicles with goods and passengers, thereby failing to comply with safety regulations.

“Kwara is not spared as recent happenings along Eyenkorin/Oko-olowo/Bode-Sadu/Jebba Road in the last few months are alarming.

“The crashes are caused by human drivers’ carelessness and our brothers and sisters who derive joy in sitting on top of goods while in transit.

“Examples of such are the recent crashes that happened at Bacita Junction on Dec. 26, 2024; Peke on Jan. 22; and Olooru on Jan. 30, where many lives were lost,” Irekeola said.

The sector commander also said measures had been put in place to regulate the road transport system to ensure sanity on the highways.

“Some of the measures are Nigeria Road Safety Strategy, Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme, and Safety Guidelines for the operation of tankers/trailers in Nigeria, in the three major Nigerian languages.

“Also, we have advocacy visits, sensitization to motor parks and terminals in Nigeria, enforcement of speed limiting devices, and safe-to-load program for articulated vehicles in tank farms,” he said.

According to Irekeola, the major challenge of the ideas is the lack of cooperation from some stakeholders.

“However, with more cooperation and buy-in from government and stakeholders, FRSC will ensure safety effectively,” the sector commander said.

Also, CSP Sherifat Akorede, State Traffic Officer, Nigeria Police Force, said that many drivers did not sleep or rest after traveling long distances and still embarked on other journeys, therefore causing accidents.

Akorede warned drivers against parking vehicles by the roadside, saying that it caused accidents for night travelers “because they find it difficult to see the road.”

“We discovered that many people die in a single vehicle, as much as 30 to 35 persons, due to loading human beings with animals, thereby causing lots of casualties,” she said.

Earlier, Mrs Gladys Oyedepo, Superintendent of Narcotics (SN), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Kwara Command, also warned drivers to desist from taking alcohol and hard drugs before and while driving.

“Drivers should stop the bad habit; it leads to lots of havoc and death to drivers and passengers and, as such, should be stopped.

“Any driver caught in the bad act will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly because we have started conducting body tests to confirm if drivers are drunk or not,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by representatives of security agencies and all the commercial transport unions in the state. (NAN)