FRSC drastically reduces number of road crashes in Enugu State

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Enugu State Command, says it has succeeded in drastically reducing road crashes in Enugu State between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, 2023.

“The FRSC recorded a reduction in the number of persons involved in crashes to 763 from January to November 2023 compared to the 1,576 recorded in the same period in 2022,” the FRSC Sector Commander in Enugu State, Mr Adeyemi Sokunbi, said.

He also indicated that vehicles involved in road crashes reduced to 174 in 2023 as against 314 in 2022.

“Number of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) reduced to 108 in 2023 as against 186 in 2022; and number of fatality reduced to 35 in 2023 as against 49 in 2022,”  Sokunbi said.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the total number of casualties (which covers serious and minor crashes) reduced to 438 between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, 2023, as against 646 in the same period in 2022.

Sokunbi said the drastic reduction in the number of crashes followed the strong and continuous engagement of transport stakeholders and the general motoring public by the FRSC.

According to him, “we appreciate the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, and the FRSC South-East Zonal Commander, Assistant Corps Marshal, Isaac Ameh, for providing guidance and logistics for the robust stakeholders’ engagement to be possible.

The commander said that the Command seized all opportunities provided as well as fashioned more avenues to educate and engage the public on road safety issues.

Sokunbi noted that the Sector Command, Unit Commands and outpost office in Oji River had continued its daily and other routine education and engagement with road stakeholders and the public.

He said: “We also have a robust daily public enlightenment outreaches minus our weekly and routine media engagement with the residents, where we educate members of the public on safe driving and road discipline.

“Over time, we have moved a step forward by engaging in worship places advocacy; where we engage worshippers on the need to take the Road Safety Gospel home and enlighten all around them to be careful while on the road.

“The Command also intensified its Early Morning Cry (taking Road Safety Gospel messages to the parks very early in the morning) before drivers and passengers set out on their journeys.

“At the Early Morning Cry; we talk to passengers to be active and take responsibility for their journeys and caution any recklessness by the driver. The drivers are cautioned to exhibit professional maturity on the road as their journeys last”.

The commander also said that the FRSC takes advantage of every public gathering and meetings (whether church, mosque, community and village meetings) to enlighten residents on road safety issues and the need to caution their family members.

He said that FRSC officials had been placed as station officers in secondary schools to keep activities of Road Safety School Clubs alive and continually engage students to be road safety vanguards in their various homes.

“We also have vibrant special marshals and the NYSC Road Safety CDS corps members that also complement our efforts in these robust enlightenment and engagements mentioned.

“Though we are not there yet, I believe that the motoring public and residents in general in Enugu State are gradually imbibing FRSC messages, which explained the drastic reduction so far this year.

“We plan to sustain the gains achieved beyond this December and 2024,” Sokunbi added.