The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is to intensify its patrol and other activities in 2017 as part of measures to curtail road accident across the country.
In 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria recorded not less than 11, 363 road accident nationwide, leading to the dealth of 5,053 road users.
To reverse the trend drastically, the management of FRSC has earmarks not less than N1.2Billion for new vehicles, training, research, fuel and maintenance among others.
Under the arrangement, FRSC is to purchase 25 operational (Pick-Up for patrol and Rescue) at N322, 875,000 while fuel and lubricants is to cost N238,002,360 within the year.
Also, procurement of operational and rescue consumables is put at N71million while ongoing projects at FRSC Academy is to get N300Million before the end of 2017.
Meanwhile, FRSC is to fast-track the construction of Benue and Ekiti Sector Commands at N124,507,382 and N124,507,382 respetively.
To successfully prevent accident, FRSC within the period is to carry out research on causes of road traffic crash at a cost of N25million.
In a related development, N59,041,486 has been earmarked to secure frsc land at Gwagwalada while efforts are being made to provide accommondation for DCMs before the end of the year.
A highly placed source told City BusinessNews Online (www.citybusinessnews.com) that the proposed projects are subject to the “availability of funds and prevailing exigencies and other factors”.
According to the source, FRSC is determined like never before to reduce road accident drastically before the end of this year.
In 2016, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recorded the highest number of accidents, followed by Kaduna and Niger States, while Borno and Bayelsa recorded the least.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), a total of 5,053 Nigerians got killed within the period, adding that 4,696 of the 5,053, representing 93 per cent of the figure were adults, while the remaining 357 Nigerians, representing seven per cent of the figure are children.
Explaining further in its 2016 Road Transport Data, NBS explained that 3, 970 male , representing 79 per cent and 1,083 female, representing 25 per cent, died in the accidents.
NBS identified speed violation as the major cause of the accidents in 2016, which accounted for 33.86 per cent of the total road accidents reported.
NBS said: “Loss of control and dangerous driving followed closely as they both accounted for 15.43 per cent and 8.53 per cent of the total road accidents recorded.
“A total of 30,105 Nigerians got injured in the accidents recorded in 2016.
“Twenty eight thousand two, hundred and fifty (28,250) of the 30,105 Nigerians that got injured, representing 94 per cent of the figure, are adults, while the remaining 1,855 Nigerians, representing six per cent of the figure are children.
“Twenty two thousand, seven hundred and five (22, 705) male Nigerians, representing 75 per cent were injured in the accidents in 2016, while 7,400 female Nigerians, representing 25 per cent got injured,’’ it said.
Meanwhile, “A total of 889,834 national drivers licenses were produced in 2016, “Lagos and FCT produced the highest number of drivers’ licenses, while Yobe and Zamfara produced the least number of national drivers’ license.
“Similarly, a total of 462,395 vehicle number plates were produced in 2016.
“Lagos and FCT produced the highest number of vehicle plate numbers, while Yobe and Zamfara produced the least number of vehicle plate numbers in 2016’’
The report said the total vehicle population in Nigeria in 2016 was put at 11,387,185.
“Commercial vehicles accounted for 53.8 per cent of the total vehicle population in Nigeria in 2016, private vehicles 44.5 per cent, government vehicles 1.65 per cent and diplomatic vehicles accounted for 0.1 per cent.
“With the total population of the country puts at 193 million in 2016, Nigeria’s vehicle per population ratio is put at 0.06.
“Data on the category of vehicles involved in the road accidents reflected that 56.6 per cent of the vehicles are commercial (8,876) and 41.6 per cent are private (6,521).’’
