Stop attributing accidents to evil spirits – FRSC advises Nigerians

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has again advised Nigerians to stop attributing road crashes to evil spirits or demons.

Oyo Sector Commander of the corps, Mrs Rosemary Alo, said this in Ibadan on Wednesday while flagging off a two-day seminar on creating a safe motoring environment in Nigeria.

It was reported that the seminar’s theme is “Creating a Safe Motoring Environment in Nigeria: A Collective Responsibility of all Citizens”.

Alo noted that the seminar aimed to educate safety officers and critical stakeholders, including transport unions, government agencies, and civil society organisations, on the prevention of road crashes.

It was reported the seminar was held in collaboration with the Dr Tunde Aladesanmi Road Safety Foundation.

The road safety boss debunked the speculations that evil spirits or demons were sometimes responsible for road crashes.

“We must know that crashes are caused by humans, speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and others that can lead to road crashes which cannot be attributed to any spirit.

“Driving requires 100 per cent concentration; breaching the rules of safe driving will create an environment for crashes to occur,” Alo said.

According to her, most of the crashes are due to a poor and disrespectful attitude toward road safety rules.

Alo said that issues of road safety in Nigeria, therefore, required the collaborative efforts of all citizens.

“Road Safety is not just the responsibility of traffic authorities or automobile manufacturers.

“It is a shared obligation that requires the involvement of government agencies, businesses, civil society organisations, and individuals alike.

“By working together, we can amplify our impact and make meaningful strides towards safer roads for all,” she said.

She also noted that FRSC had put in place measures to ensure proper monitoring of driving schools.

She added that a special driving school monitoring team had also been set up to monitor the level of compliance of registered training schools.

The sector commander disclosed that the corps had been actively coordinating Computer-Based Tests for driving schools, ensuring their compliance in terms of infrastructural facilities and competence of their instructors.

Also, the President, Dr Tunde Aladesanmi Road Safety Foundation, Dr Ken Adegoke, said the foundation was established in memory of Dr Tunde Aladesanmi.

According to Adegoke, Aladesanmi lost his life alongside other doctors in a road accident in 2016.

He noted that the foundation aimed to prevent unnecessary deaths on highways across Nigeria through effective collaboration with critical stakeholders such as the FRSC.

Mr Esho Giwa, the state Chairman, Tricycle Division of the Park Management System (PMS), urged FRSC to ensure that such a seminar was organised regularly.

He noted that the seminar had impacted knowledge of road signs, safe driving and other road safety rules among participants.