Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that there were 62 road crashes involving 65 tankers in the first quarter of 2017.
The Corps Marshal of the FRSC) Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi in his speech Thursday to declare open the occasion of the National Executive Council/State Chairmen Joint meeting of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) in Kaduna estimated the loss to the crashes at N3.2 billion in addition to several loss of innocent lives.
He ascribed the road crashes to activities of reckless drivers, over speeding and the use of motor boys in most cases and night driving.
The FRSC Corps Marshal lamented that most of the crashes occurred in the night as most of the tanker drivers now in an attempt to avoid the personnel of the FRSC chose to engage mostly in driving at nights.
While calling on NARTO to protect their investment by checkmating the activities of reckless drivers, particularly motor boys who became drivers overnight, he also warned against overloading, particularly carriage of fire woods and cows on tankers, saying it has become so embarrassing carrying human beings along with animals.
He however commended the Federal Government for the Kaduna-Abuja railway lines, which he said had reduced much pressure on the roads by vehicles. He also lauded the government for the nationwide rehabilitation of major highways.
Dr Oyeyemi also disclosed that the Corps had conducted training, re-training as well as re-certification. Of tanker/trailer (truck) drivers programs in nine designated centres nationwide.
He also informed that full implementation of the law on the use of speed limiters had commenced in earnest on the 1st February, 2017 following the Presidential directives and expressed hope that commercial drivers yet to install the device in their vehicles to do so without delay to save the nation from avoidable menace of speed- induced crashes which accounted for significant percentage of fatal crash cases that were recorded in the last two years.
