A total of 30,726 offenders were arrested during the Operation Zero Special Patrol of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC in 2022.
According to the statistics released by the corps, 626 road traffic crashes were recorded; 4,698 passengers were involved in the crashes; 2,295 were rescued; 2,082 were injured; and 381 were killed.
The corps revealed that speed violation, driving under influence, continuous night journey leading to fatigue, dangerous driving, wrongful overtaking, tyre violation (worn out and expired) were responsible for the road crashes.
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The just concluded 2022 Operation began on 15 December 2022 and came to a conclusion on 15 January 2023.
In the 2022 operations, the Federal Government gave the corps a mandate on ‘ease of movement across the Country during the end of year festive season’.
During the Operation, the corps deployed a total of 7,100 Officers, 18,124 Marshals, over 8000 Special Marshals, 743 patrol vehicles, 184 administrative vehicles, 144 Power Bikes, 132 Ambulances, 23 tow trucks were mobilized and redeployed to strategic traffic corridors.
Also, 23 help areas were created for the prompt response, while 28 roadside clinics and 46 Ambulance units (Zebra) were also fully activated and mobilized. The FRSC Call Center and a Situation Room were deployed, while the Body Worn Cameras monitored from the Field Operations Monitoring and Control Center were sustained as part of the monitoring architecture for special patrol operations to engender sanity on the highways.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, lamented that the alarming rate of crashes within 31 days was unacceptable, adding that it requires urgent strategies to manage this trend.
Biu said “ I want to reiterate the alarming rate of crashes and fatalities that occur as a result of night trips and excessive speed; the recent record of these crashes and fatalities is not acceptable, a situation that has become worrisome and demanding of urgent need to bring to a halt.
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“To this end, great emphasis must be made to discourage the use of 18 Seater Buses registered under intra-state mass transit, for inter-state long journeys, a practice that contradicts the use of high-capacity luxury buses specifically designed for such purposes.
He advised that “In this 2023, travelers must as much as possible avoid excessive speed as much as possible and steer clear night trips due to the perennial dangers that come with it, among which are; poor visibility, excessive speed, fatigue and other unhealthy driving behaviours that are associated with driving during the dark hours on Nigerian roads.”
The corps marshal, however, said the Corps has mapped out some critical strategies that will combat road crashes and engender a safer motoring environment in the coming years.
He explained “We will collaborate with the judiciary in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory for immediate up scaling of Mobile Court Operations nationwide with more stringent penalties for offenders
“Enhance Corps visibility through effective and efficient deployment of operational tools in the category of patrol vehicles, breathalyzers, traffic cones, radar guns, vehicle and body cameras, etc.
“Ensure adequate supervision of Staff at various Tank Farms across the country for strict compliance with the template on enforcing compliance with maximum safety standards including the installation of speed limit devices, anti-spill (safety valve), on-board monitoring devices etc. This is to further bring to a halt all incidences of crashes involving articulated vehicles, particular emphasis on tankers.”
