The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Friday says there was a 51 per cent reduction in Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) during the 2024 Eid-el Kabir special patroloperations when compared to the same period in 2023 nationwide.
The Corps Marshal, FRSC, Malam Shehu Mohammed said this during a press briefing on the outcome of the special patrol operations between Friday June 14 and Sunday June 23 in Abuja.
Mohammed said that the Corps had earlier galvanised and engaged all stakeholders in the road transportation sector to ensure that their members drove in strict compliance with established laws.
This, he said could be seen in the series of meetings held with National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), NUPENG-PTD, NARTO, RTEAN, ACOMORON among others to curtail the incessant rate of crashes.
He said that it had become very imperative because the Corps grasped that everybody was a critical stakeholder and also realised that the Corps were already running out of excuses.
He added that it was important for the Corps to commit to the very simple, proactive means that would guarantee hope instead of apprehension in the use of the roads.
According to him, the Corps took full advantage of the opportunity to deliver reduction of fatalities in our country by enforcing laws and educating commuters on safety consciousness.
“This is because we are aware that if we fail on our part, posterity will not pardon our failure to manage the challenges as the scars of our irresponsibility will be deafening.
“Interestingly, during the Eid-el Kabir special patrol, the Corps recorded 51 per cent reduction in RTCs, 38 per cent reduction in number of people involved, and 39 per cent reduction in number of people killed.
“Also, while 35 per cent decrease was recorded in number of people injured, the Corps achieved 41 per cent reduction in number of people rescued without injuries.
“For the sake of clarity, let me provide you with clearer picture in terms of the basic data for the Sallah operations.
According to him, in 2023, the Corps recorded 88 RTCs, this number was reduced in 2024 to 43 representing 51 per cent reduction.
“ In the same vein, in 2023, a total of 522 people were involved in the aforementioned crashes, while 322 got involved in 2024 representing 38 per cent reduction, “he said.
Meanwhile, Mohammed said that a total of 211 people were rescued with injuries in 2023, adding that the figure was against 137 recorded in 2024 representing 35 per cent decrease.
The FRSC boss said that in 2023, 273 victims were rescued without injuries saying that the figure reduced to 162 in 2024 representing 41 per cent reduction.
“To this end, I feel delighted to see that the Corps has made tremendous progress in the actualisation of our corporate mandate.
“However, even though reasonable progress has been recorded in crash reduction in Nigeria, it is still unacceptable, the number of deaths and injuries we recorded during our last outing.
“This is why the Corps is unrelenting in effecting measures that would sternly stem crash and fatality rate in Nigeria, hence the imperatives of doubling our efforts in our future engagements,”he said.
Mohammed commended the doggedness, resilience and capacity of the personnel who risk their lives to save lives on the roads, saying that the success was not achieved by FRSC alone.
The FRSC boss said that the mileage achieved was through a combination of efforts.
“We owe appreciation to the overwhelming support received from the Federal Government, as well as the cooperation of our numerous stakeholders, particularly the media for letting the public know what we do.