105 Road Crashes Recorded Between January, March In Oyo - FRSC

It has been revealed that 105 road traffic accidents were recorded in the first quarter of 2023.

This revelation was made by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Oyo State Command, during a lecture to mark the 2023 West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO) Day.

The Oyo FRSC Sector Commander, Joshua Adekanye delivered the lecture in line with the theme of the event, “Improving Road Safety Data Management: A Call for Action”.

The Sector Commander attributed the high number of road crashes to speed violations, saying it accounted for 68.57 per cent out of the total number of 105 recorded incidents.

He added that incidents of burst tyres and dangerous driving followed closely as they both accounted for 4.76 per cent and 11.5 per cent of the crashes recorded.

Adekanye, however, said that the record of accidents in the first quarter of the year showed a decline in road crashes in the state when compared with the first quarters of 2021 and 2022.

Adekanye said that the commitment of the corps to reducing road crashes to the barest minimum and with the support of the government and other stakeholders had contributed to the decline in crashes.

“The stories on the roads can be amended from bloody to enjoyment if all road users could change their attitude and respect the rules and objectives of traffic laws.

"Our nation can be removed from the list of most dangerous roads to drive motor vehicles to global examples of safe roads that respect the sanctity of human life and provide an enabling environment for economic progress if we obey the traffic rules,” he said.

The sector commander said that the 15 countries that are members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are members of WARSO.

He said that the main goal of WARSO was the promotion and reinforcement of road safety in West Africa through effective management of road safety and traffic matters with a view to drastically reducing road traffic crashes.

Adekanye said that WARSO Day was celebrated annually on May 8 in Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries.

In his lecture, Dr Benjamin Oluwabusuyi of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), called on FRSC to continue to improve on its services to the public and effectively manage casualty on roads in Nigeria.

He said that data collection was the responsibility of all and that every data collected helped in decision making.

Dr Matthew Olaogun, an official of the Oyo State Hospital Management Board, called for more synergy at reducing casualties on the roads and advised officials of the FRSC to be diligent in discharging their duties.