My 2024 Agenda

Congratulations for crossing over to 2024. As I look back to 2023, I cannot but express profound gratitude to the Almighty God for keeping us and to you, for keeping faith with the Federal Road Safety Corps.

Despite the challenges of 2023, I am hopeful that this year will end better than last year. 2023 was indeed challenging, but equally exciting. It demonstrated our strength and revealed our weaknesses too. Despite these, 2023 was in the words of my boss, Dauda Biu, a defining year for the Federal Road Safety Corps even in the face of what I could describe as hiccups that challenged the ruggedness of the Corps in delivering on its statutory mandate.

I am happy that a review of 2023 has been conducted and the corporate road map for 2024 laid, I would like to do a run down on some of the areas that will form the focus of this column although, not in any order of priority. I would like also in the words of by boss to state that the Corps in the areas of road traffic crashes and fatality reduction performed appreciably well even though we could have done better.

Let me again refresh your minds with the five critical road traffic crashes that claimed 58lives and accounted for seventeen percent of the total number of recorded crashes between December 15 to January 15,2024 which stands at a total of 335fatalities as against 350 in 2022.

Although the data of fatalities compared between 2022 and 2023 shows a 4percent reduction, I believe that we could have done better. The record of crashes between the two years again shows that 10,617 crashes were recorded in 2023 as against 13,656 in 2022 which represents a 22percent reduction. In the case of deaths, the report again shows that 5081 deaths were recorded in 2023 as against 6456 in 2022 representing 21percent reduction.

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Please allow for emphasis to run the five critical crashes were primarily caused by overloading of trailers with passengers, goods and animals, speed violations, and night trips which is my focus for this week. The first crash occurred on 23 December, 2023, at 1208HRS in Kwanar Malamawa, Jigawa State. It involved a collision between a Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Golf3 resulting in the death of 10 people.

On 25 December, 2023 at 0635HRS in Inisa, Osun State, a lone crash that involved a Mitsubishi Canter resulting in the death of nine people occurred. This was followed on 01 January, 2024 at 0135HRS in Kakia, Katsina State, by another lone crash involving Peugeot J5 Bus which led to the death of nine people.

In the same vein, on 02 January, 2024 at 0450HRS in Aiyere, Kwara State, another DAF Trailer collided with a Hiace Bus leading to the death of eleven people, while on 03 January, 2024 at 1950HRS in Sabon Wuse, Niger State, a crash involving a DAF Trailer and a Hiace Bus led to the death of nineteen people.

These five crashes alone killed a total of 58 victims and all deaths were recorded as a result of night trips. This alone represents 17percent of the total deaths recorded within the 2023 outing period. Meanwhile, the total fatalities recorded from 15 December 2023 to 15 January, 2024 stood at a total of 335 deaths nationwide as against 350 recorded in the same period in 2022 which represents 4percent reduction.

These were not the only ones. There were others preceding the report Corps report on increasing crashes involving night trips.

Last week, I took off with one of the concern highlighted by Dauda Biu,the helmsman at the Federal Road Safety Corps.Night trip.It has resurged again.I  know have written several times on this death wish yet the apostles of night travel keep canvassing reasons why they can never give up their free choice which cannot be restricted by law. This is because globally, there is no legislation anywhere in the world that prohibits night travel. However, the FRSC has  mounted a consistent campaign against night travel. While the Corps appreciates the right of individuals in a democracy, the Corps in keeping with the peculiar Nigerian situation took its stand for several reasons, which in fact culminated in series of workshops held with stakeholders to raise awareness on the dangers involved.

Although few accidents occur at night like I highlighted in the 2023 data, heavier fatalities and casualty rate usually occur. But why is FRSC concerned about night journey?We are concerned for several reasons ranging from  the fact that rescue operation is minimal and most often non-existent in the night.Despite boasting of over one hundred and fifty ambulances nationwise,ambulances still need to be improved upon.

Consequently, because access to emergency services is poor, death before arrival at the hospital is usually high. In many cases there is no availability of ambulance, and road crash victims rely on passersby for help. Lack of any medical interventions and long difficult journeys to hospitals reduces the chances of survival

Visibility is another problem. Globally, it is recommended that improving the visibility of road users is one of the specific interventions that can yield good results. Seeing and been seeing are fundamental prerequisites for the safety of all road users and there are several ways of enhancing visibility. The use of extra reflectors on the vehicle or light reflective vests of the thin plastic material is also recommended by the United Nations and is contained the National Road Traffic Regulation, 2004. Illuminating crosswalks, including the flood lighting of pedestrian crossing and increased illumination at crosswalks are also recommended strategies.

Fr your information there are reports that indicates that some of  our road signs, and marking in terms of their shapes, colour and reflectivity do not meet international standards. The consequences is that driving is made more difficult and hazardous because of the absence of the appropriate road furniture to guide motorist at night and bad or poor weather. The result is the recourse by fleet operators to violate the provision of the traffic regulation by fixing extra lights, which has led to avoidable crashes and death. This is why FERMA opined that if maximum reflectivity is maintained in our pavement markings, signs and delineators, there would be increase in night time sand poor weather safety on our roads and ultimately fewer crashes injuries and fatalities may be recorded.

Retro-reflectivity is a critical element that has help the US Department of transport achieve its safety goals of reducing fatality by 20 percent.

Inadequate visibility because of environmental factors, which makes it hard to detect vehicles and other road users and poor eye sight of road users, are all listed as factors influencing crash involvement. All these are prevalent among night time operators.