By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Road Safety Corps has disclosed that three hundred and twenty seven lives have been lost to road crashes during its Yuletide ‘operation Zero Tolerance Special Patrol’ that stated from December 15, 2021, and ended on January 15, 2022.
The Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi gave the update in a briefing on Thursday in Abuja.
He said 11,060 vehicles were also impounded with 20, 845 booked for various traffic offences while 600 crashes involving 4,649 were recorded during the period.
Oyeyemi attributed the crashes to speed violation, driving under influence of drugs and alcohol, continuous night journey leading to fatigue, dangerous driving, wrongful overtaking, worn out and expired tyres, and overloading.
He said, “Within the period under review, a total of 600 road traffic crashes were recorded, involving 4,649 people with 327 people killed and 1,916 injured, while 2,406 people were rescued without injuries.
“Also, a total of 20,845 offenders were apprehended and booked for violating 24,214 different traffic infractions with 11,060 vehicles impounded and 9,787 confiscations recorded.”
The FRSC further said a comparative analysis of road traffic crashes recorded in 2021 and 2020 revealed a nine per cent reduction in crash cases; three per cent reduction in the number of people involved; 26 per cent reduction in the number of people killed and nine per cent reduction in the number of people injured.
“However, a comparative analysis of enforcement within the special patrol in 2021 and 2020 indicates 26 per cent increase in road traffic violators, 32 per cent increase in traffic offences, 18 per cent increase in the number of vehicles impounded and 35 per cent increase in the number of confiscations, the FRSC boss explained.
Oyeyemi disclosed that the Corps would enforce the installation of speed limiting devices by commercial buses this year in line with the Presidential directive.
According to him, while trucks had obeyed the directive on the speed limiters, only 144,599 commercial buses have installed the device since 2015 when the campaign started.
Consequently, he said the Corps intended to accomplish a 15 per cent reduction in road traffic crash fatality this year, enhance road safety partnership for innovation intervention and consolidate on traffic data system for improved road safety policy formulation.
