As the sallah celebration comes closer and the need to address reckless driving becomes imperative, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) collaborayed to ensure that all traffic offenders are tried and penalised.
Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dauda Biu disclosed this at the official flag-off of the 2024 Sallah motor park mega rally in Zuba, Abuja, on Saturday.
“It is therefore considered apt to affirm that drinking and driving, overloading of vehicles, use of worn-out tyres, overloading, lane indiscipline, excessive speed, wrongful overtaking do not only pose a threat to the life of the driver, but also to the lives and properties of all road users (motorists, pedestrians, and even animals).
“Such bad driving behaviours are still threats to the state of road infrastructures which costs a lot of tax payers’ resources to produce,” Biu said.
He added that the Corps has put key strategic measures in place to combat crashes on the road.
These he said include the flag-off of Joint Task Force against use of trailers to convey human beings which he said contradicts the original design of the vehicle.
“We have also ensured the commencement of enforcement on overloading of vehicles and the intensification of Mobile Court operations nationwide. Our collaboration with the Nigeria Bar Association is already yielding results as prosecution of recalcitrant offenders including drivers involved in fatal crashes is in top gear,” the FRSC boss said.
On the reason for the mega rally at motor parks, the Corps Marshal, who was represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal (Operations), DCM Shehu Zaki said, ” the Corps came up with the idea of taking the message of safety down to all of us at the motor parks quite early due to the critical role the union officials play on the road; as a prelude to massive deployment of personnel and logistics to the highways, particularly at the black spots for the containment of the perennial traffic gridlock and the accompanying hazards.”
Speaking on the deployment for Sallah celebration, he said, “the year 2024 may present yet another challenge and that is why we have come out to tackle it head–on with commitment and determination, as evidenced by the comprehensive measure we are putting in place to address the dreadful experiences we have. For instance, this year’s exercise, I have already directed the deployment of FRSC regular and special marshals, patrol Vehicles, Ambulances, Tow Truck and Bikes across the 52 critical corridor and other roads across the length and breadth of the country.
“The Corps has deployed operational equipment in the categories of Radar Guns, Breathalysers to put a check on drunk driving and over speeding. More so, I also directed that all Zebras must be active 24/7 and be responsive to calls within the minimum FRSC response time to crashes that might be reported.
“In the same vein, all commanding officers have equally been directed to step up patrol operations and ensure strict enforcement of critical offences like overloading, driving rickety vehicles, excessive smoke emission.”
While speaking at the function, representative of the The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Jacob Emmanuel said the agency will continue to work with the FRSC to achieve safer roads in Nigeria.
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