Motorists urged to be safety conscious

• As Guinness Nigeria begins Transport, Safety week

GUINNESS Nigeria has urged motorist across the country to be safety conscious while driving.

This is coming as the beverage company flagged off its 2018 transport and safety week as part of its commitment to promote road safety and sustainable transport systems in the country.

With the theme,‘be safe’, the company advised its employees, particularly drivers, to imbibe the core values of being smart, alert, focused and educated at all times.

Speaking at the ceremony in Lagos, Customer Service and Logistics Associate Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Akoji Amedu, disclosed that the programme was put together to engage, educate and remind its employees, particularly transporters of the importance of staying safe while at work and while driving on the roads.

He said: “Safety is a way of life, the way we work, the activities we engage in. Safety should be our overriding focus. When our employees come to work, they should be able to return home safe”.

“We believe that a single death caused by drinking and driving is one too many and can and must be prevented. We are encouraged that over the last few years, the number of alcohol related fatalities have fallen significantly across the country. However, there is more to do and we are committed to playing our role in eradicating harm caused by drink driving in Nigeria,” he added.

The brewing giant said the safety week activities happen periodically, but that the zero harm agenda is a continuous process, even as it promised to continue to work with various stakeholders to deliver the goal of zero harm in work places.

Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Lagos Command, Hyginus Omeje, commended Guinness Nigeria for organising such programme, stating that such programme would go a long way in entrenching safety among Guinness staff.

He stated that bad attitude of road users, coupled with low level of road safety education and awareness was responsible for many road accidents.

He said studies had shown that the causes of road traffic crashes were road, vehicle, and human factors, with human factor recording 85 per cent.