By Ige Adekunle
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun Command, has warned motorists against excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking to minimise road accidents during the ember months.
Mr Anthony Uga, the Ogun Sector Commander of FRSC, gave the warning during the flag-off campaign organised by Idiroko Unit Command on Wednesday in Idiroko.
Uga emphasised the importance of responsible driving and avoidance of overloading during this period.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of 2023 ember months is: “Speed Thrills but Kills, Drive Responsibly and Avoid Overloading”.
According to him, this serves as a reminder to all motorists that speeding and reckless overtaking have been major contributors to road crashes in the state.
Uga stressed the detrimental effects of speeding and urged motorists to drive responsibly, considering the increased vehicular movement during the ember months.
The FRSC boss noted that over speeding and dangerous overtaking had been contributed to most of the road crashes in the state.
“We implored motorists against speeding because speed kills.
“In addition, they should drive responsively and refrain from dangerous driving as ember months is always characterised with increase vehicular movement to reduce tragedy during this period.
He also highlighted the dangers of intoxicating substances such as drugs and alcohol, which impair judgment and increase the risk of accidents.
Uga cautioned against night traveling due to poor visibility, as a significant number of accidents occur during this time.
To further promote road safety, Uga appealed to the unions of NURTW and RTEAN to actively engage their drivers in promoting safety measures and ensuring proper maintenance of their vehicles.
According to him, this is especially important as these drivers transport various categories of people on the highways.
Mr Charles Daramola, the Idiroko Unit Commander of FRSC, also emphasised the need for motorists to change their negative attitudes to reduce accidents during the ember months.
He highlighted the 2023 theme of the ember months campaign as a tool for public enlightenment, aiming to positively influence road users’ behaviour and create a safer motoring environment.
Daramola acknowledged the regular occurrence of road traffic crashes and their impact on lives, valuable properties, and the Nigerian economy.
He dispelled the belief that the ember months are inherently evil and characterised by road crashes, noting that most incidents occur due to non-compliance with basic traffic rules and regulations by road users.
“There is the need to raise the consciousness of the motorists about the risks, the magnitude of loses, and negative impacts of road crashes due to over speeding and over loading on lives and properties of road users,which in turn impedes the growth of the nation.”he said.
The unit commander emphasised the need for motorists to obey traffic rules and regulations, especially during the ember months to reduce the number of deaths recorded from road crashes.
He added that these accident victims are the greatest assets of any nation and toward achieving economic growth.(NAN)
