Road crashes killed 327 in 1 month – FRSC

Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, yesterday disclosed that 327 people died from road crashes during the yuletide season.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, he said this was recorded during the 2021 Operation Zero Tolerance Special Patrol operation from December 15, 2021 to January 15 this year.

He said 600 road traffic crashes were recorded involving 4,649 people with 1,916 people injured and 2,406 rescued unhurt.

He said a total of 20,845 offenders were apprehended and booked for violating 24,214 different traffic infractions; while 11,060 vehicles were impounded and 9,787 confiscations recorded.

He said a total of seven fatal crashes claiming 82 persons were recorded along seven critical routes with IleshaAkure and Kano-Zaria Roads recording the highest number of death of 20 and 19 respectively.

Oyeyemi said a comparative analysis of road traffic crashes recorded in the year 2021 and 2020 revealed nine percent reduction in road traffic crashes, three percent reduction in the number of people involved, 26 percent reduction in the number of people killed and nine percent reduction in the number of people injured.

He also noted that a comparative analysis of enforcement within the special patrol in 2021 and 2020 indicates 26 percent increase in road traffic violators, 32 percent increase in traffic offences, 18 percent increase in the number of vehicles impounded and 35 percent increase in the number of confiscations.

Oyeyemi said speed violation was a factor that caused road crashes in the country.

He said driving under influence of drugs and alcohol, continuous night journey leading to fatigue, dangerous driving, wrongful overtaking, tyre violation (worn out and expired) as well as overloading were also factors leading to the causes of accidents during the period.

He decried the low level of compliance with the compulsory installation of speed limiters.

He said from 2015 till date, a total of 144,599 commercial vehicles successfully installed with speed limiters.

He said the corps had set its 2022 target to accomplish 15% reduction in road traffic crash fatality, enhance road safety partnership for innovative intervention and consolidate on the Road Traffic Data System for Improved Road Safety Policy Formulation.

He said the corps would deploy body cameras to personnel on patrol to enable them capture activities on the roads.