FRSC And Speed Violation

In the recent past, road traffic crashes have claimed the lives of so many Nigerians and have been a major cause of deaths in the country. These have not only led to the untimely death of many promising young people but also to the prominent incapacitation of some motoring publics.
Indeed, road traffic crashes have also often led to the destruction of property worth millions of naira.
These road crashes were and are still been caused by a variety of reasons ranging from both human and mechanical factor. These factors have in no small measure contributed to the devastation been experienced on our various roads in the country problems such as drink driving, dangerous over speeding, underage driving, effuse to wear seatbelt etc. are some of the human factors responsible for such road traffic accidents.
Lots of the vehicles been brought in the country are often not in the best conditions. This leads to their being susceptible to the elements once brought in the country. These parts, which are already rusty and dilapidated, coupled with the nature of Nigerian roads, make them moving caskets on our roads. That is not all, lots of quacks mechanic as repair men often have little knowledge of the vehicles maintenance as or repairs they claim to fix.
Burdened by these challenges and the near absence of funds to face up to them, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC, here been engaged in managing such situations in hackney disturbed by the occurrence of wad traffic crashes. The FRSC has set out to fulfilling its obligations of ensuring safe monitoring on Nigerian roads. It has assured Nigerians of its readiness to aggressively enforcement not only regulations on speed violations but all other road traffic offence which may lead the destruction of lives and property on the Nigeria roads.
The Corp Marshal while declaring open a day sensitization workshop on speed limiting devices recently suggested that the Corp was working extremely hard to make our roads safer and allow Nigerians to enjoy fuller live, road traffic accidents free lives. And that these limiting speed devices would help in no small measure to facilitate that dream and if this pays off the about 87,370 roads users who lost their lives between 1990 and 2001 alone would rest assured that other Nigerians would not experience such suffering as they.
It is also in his bid to fight the “monster” of road traffic crashes that the then Corps Marshall Marshal Osita chidoka, wrote to the managing director of Toyota Motors Nigeria Limited about the issue of road traffic accidents involving Toyota buses, especially the Hiace brand. He said that “extensive investigation and analysis of commuter vehicles carried out by the FRSC from 2007 – 2012 indicated that Toyota hiace buses were involved in 1,844 road crashes, while 31 percent of the bus road traffic accidents resulted into fire events.”
He furthered, say that the study showed that road traffic crashes involving buses had seen on the increase since 2007 and that available Data showed an average yearly increase 126 road crashes involving Toyota hiace buses, representing 48 percent of the total number of buses involved in road traffic crashes. He started that, it is on record that Toyota hiace YHB buses were recalled in Australia as a result of fire incidence in 1990 and recently in 2012. The 1990 safety recall closed August 26th, 2010. The period Nigeria start recording high Toyota hiace crashes involving fire incident.
That is not all. The FRSC has undertaken to do a safety audit of transport companies. This, according to Chidoka, would make its drivers, vehicle and any company policy to ascertain their compliance with minimum road safety standards. He cautioned that commercial bus owners must endeavour to install speed limiting devices in their buses and impress on their drivers the need to obey speed limit and road signs while on steering. Chidoka also made it clear that the corps had written the management of the Young Shall Grow Motors over frequent involvement of their buses in road crashes saying the company buses where involved in 32 crashes which resulted in 71 deaths and 93 injuries between January 2012 and June 2013. He went on to say that FRSC was also collecting data on another transport company, peace mass transit and would conduct safety audit on the company even though it had just like ABC transport, commenced their voluntary installation of speed limiter on their buses. The FRSC has commenced the Road Transport Standardization Scheme (RTSSS) which will lead to the prosecution of unregistered fleet operators and that so far above 50 of these have been prosecuted with two already convicted. The introduction of the RTSS has led to the registration of new fleet operators.
Nigeria roads have played a large part in many road crashes witnessed in the country. Even though the government is making efforts to repair up the failed portions of our roads, it has hardly been able to make appreciable efforts in that regard. Major roads in the country have defied all the solutions to put them in good shape. This has contributed in no small measure to the continual decimation of the motoring publics. And unless something is done fast, we are likely to lose our much productive age group and future leaders to the “monster.”
That apart, Nigerian’s driving culture must be transformed and we must all imbibe the road safety culture of defensive driving techniques. This presupposes that every other driver on the road is a potential threat and that all drivers must realize that their road safety is not dependent on the response of the other driver.
Furthermore, all drivers must be conscious of their road safety principle and must not take the response of the other driver for granted. On the whole, defensive driving and the in calculation of good driving culture will surely go along way in bringing sanity to our Nigerian’s roads. This life has no duplicate.

Ibrahim Paul Yushau wrote from FRSC Kafanchan. He can be reached on 08036573531 and ibrahimpaulyushau@gmail.com