By Moses Ebosele (ebosele@hotmail.com) –
Between 2011 and 2016, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) rescued alive not less than 401,454 Nigerians from crash scenes across the country.
Speaking at the just concluded 2017 Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) annual training workshop in Lagos, Corps Marshal of FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi explained that dying in a road traffic crash depends on where you live, adding that in Africa is 24.1 per cent compared to the Americas 16.1, Europe 10.3, western pacific 18.5, South East Asia, 18.5 and Easterm Mediterranean 21.3.
According to Oyeyemi, the productive age is mostly affected, “The picture further depicts that the situation in Africa requires member states to take action”.
He explained that “the Decade of Action (DoA) for Road Safety (2011-2020) aim to reduce global RTIs by 50% by end of year 2020 within a framework of well structured strategic national reduction plans”.
In his presentation titled “Decades of Action on Road Safety, the gains, the pains”, Dr Oyeyemi, who was represented by the Assistant Corps Marshal and the Zonal Commanding Officer, Lagos and Ogun, Sheu Zaki, challenged motorist and members of the public to contribute to safer road culture by adhering to existing rules.
He explained that along the World Bank Corridor, 1,201 Breathalyzers have so far been deployed.
He identified the Corridors as Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano (150), Benin-Ifom-Akure-Ilesha (358), Moklia-Bida-Lambata-Suleja (275), Jos-Bauchi-Gombe (137), Enugu-Abakaliki-Ikom-Mfum (126) and Abuja metropolis (126)..
Also, detail of the rescued victim indicates 2016 (60,414), 2015 (58,954), 2014 (58,920), 2013 (73,200), 2012 (74,093) and 2011 (75,873).
Oyeyemi said: “The safety sub component of the Federal Roads development Programme (FRDP) is the Safe Corridor Project.
“Safe Corridor Project concept entails earmarking particular roads for rehabilitation in line with World Best practices. It is linked to the FRDP under the Federal Ministry of Works and managed by the Road Sector Development Team (RSDT), a unit of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.
“The Safe Corridor Project focused mainly on six roads which contributes significantly or disproportionately to road fatalities and injuries. The Safe Corridor concept started with three Unity Roads in the country namely: Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Mokwa-Bida-Suleja Road, Enugu-Abakaliki-Ikom Road.
Meanwhile, FRSC has released the guidelines for the proposed psychiatric examination of traffic lawbreakers in the country.
Scheduled to begin nationwide on July 1, the test will focus on life threatening traffic offences namely, use of phone while driving, route violation, traffic light violation, dangerous driving and overloading.
According to the Corps’ Public Education Officer, Mr Bizi Kazeem, offenders shall have their driver’s licenses withdrawn pending confirmation of their sanity or otherwise.
Kazeem explained that the offenders would bear the full cost of the medical consultation, which shall be conducted at recognised public medical facilities”.
