Ember months: FRSC tasks motorists on attitudinal change, warns under-age drivers

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has urged motorists to have a change of attitude while behind the wheels to avoid crashes during the ember months.

The ember months include September, October, November and December and they are characterised by increased vehicular movements due to associated activities before, during and after the yuletide.

Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Mccharm Sambo gave the advice in an interview with our reporter in Abuja.

He said that it was high time for all motorists to have a change of attitude to road safety to reduce auto crashes.

“Road safety is everybody’s business. It is a serious business. Road safety has direct impact on our health, economy and our social well-being.

“So, as the ember months are here, the motoring public are advised to take road traffic tips seriously as they travel.

“They should not embark on journeys that are not planned. Some people embark on journeys that are on impulse; so we should not be seen to be embarking on a journey without planning,” Sambo said.

The officer called on drivers to ensure that their vehicles are in good driving conditions before embarking on journeys.

“Driver’s should go by the regulation of traffic rules which would help them reach their destination without any difficulty,” he said.

On the menace of under-aged drivers, Sambo said that the corps’ was doing its best to check the trend.

According to him, FRSC is committed to ensuring a safe motoring public.

“In doing this, we are armed with extant laws and regulations, which include Federal Road Safety Establishment Act 2007 and the National Road Traffic Regulation 2012.

“By the provisions of these statutes, it is clear that the FRSC is committed to ensuring that only persons from 18 years and above are allowed to drive.

“Qualified people should be allowed to drive. And the qualified people are gotten to drive by insisting on the state of their psychology and age limit.

“The minimum age limit has been given and it is the age of 18.

“It said that the minimum age limit for applicants to be qualified for a driver’s licence is 18.

“So in ensuring that this is complied with, the applicant is required to go to a driving school.

“In the driving school, a form will be filled and that form will entail biometrics of the would-be-driver.

“One of the biometrics is the age. We get to know the real age of an applicant by insisting that the applicant presents his birth certificate.

“The recent policy on birth certificate mandates any person wanting a licence to provide the corps with birth certificate that is issued by a hospital and obtained from the National Population Commission (NPC).

“The NPC has that statutory function to issue birth certificate,” he said.

The officer further said that some of the measures put in place by the corps to check under-aged driving included impounding the vehicle.

According to Sambo, the National Road Traffic Regulation 2012 demands that a driver must be 18 and once he is not 18, and he is found driving, our men on patrol will insist that the vehicle is impounded.

“Once it is impounded the driver is also involved and public education is given to the offender.

“But when the public decides to be recalcitrant, a fine of N2000 is given,” he said.