FRSC Rallies Nigerians Against Overloading, Unsafe Road Practices

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Voice of Nigeria (VON) have called for a collective national commitment to ending vehicle overloading and other unsafe road practices, saying concerted action could save lives, protect infrastructure and strengthen Nigeria’s transportation economy.

The call was made on Thursday at the National Breakfast Policy Dialogue and launch of the National Movement for Safe Loading and Safe Roads, organised in partnership with BusinessDay Media Limited.

The initiative, which has the theme: “Ending Overloading, Saving Lives: A National Commitment to Safer Roads and Responsible Transportation in Nigeria,” seeks to mobilise government agencies, transport operators, regulators, the private sector, civil society, the media and road users towards safer transportation practices.

The FRSC said the initiative was designed to move the country beyond discussions on overloading to a coordinated national response capable of producing measurable improvements on Nigerian roads.

According to the corps, overloading should no longer be viewed simply as a traffic offence, but as an issue with implications for road safety, infrastructure, logistics and economic development.

It explained that excessive loads could affect vehicle braking, steering and stability, accelerate vehicle deterioration and increase the risk of crashes, while also contributing to the premature deterioration of roads.

The corps further warned against mixed, incompatible and improperly secured loads, stressing that the safety risk depended not only on the weight of cargo but also on what was being transported, how it was combined and how it was positioned and secured.

It said the challenge was particularly important in the haulage and logistics sector, where efforts to maximise each journey and reduce transportation costs could sometimes encourage unsafe loading practices.

In his goodwill message, the director-general/chief executive officer of VON, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace said road safety should not be regarded solely as an enforcement responsibility, but as a collective national duty requiring effective communication, public education, stakeholder collaboration and responsible behaviour by all road users.

He said his personal experiences of road crashes had reinforced his conviction that road safety was fundamentally about protecting human lives.

“Behind every road accident is a human story,” he said, stressing that families and communities could have their lives changed within seconds by a road crash.

The VON boss also urged drivers and other road users to guard against overconfidence, warning that years of driving experience or familiarity with a particular route should not lead to reckless behaviour.