FRSC cautions against speed, overloading on Yuletide return trip

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, has warned motorists against excessive speeding and overloading their vehicles while on a return trip to their base from the Yuletide and end of the year holiday.

He also directed FRSC personnel on patrol operations to pay attention to this and two other factors found to have been responsible for major crashes in the journeys home for the end of the year festivities.

A statement issued by the Corps Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Bisi Kazeem, in Abuja on Sunday, said the identified traffic offences were the outcome of a review of crashes and fatality rates recorded during the Christmas and New Year operational activities by the corps.

The identified offences, according to him, are speeding, overloading and non-adherence to COVID-19 protocols both in vehicle and at the parks.

He further explained that the identified offences would form part of the core areas that the FRSC patrol teams would beam their operational searchlights on in the new year.

He warned motorists to desist from all traffic violations that could endanger their lives and those of other road users,

He, however, said the Corps Marshal was impressed with the orderly conduct of some of the drivers in the new year operations.

He, therefore, urgesd them to sustain the good driving habits for safety and security of all road users and members of the public alike in the new year.

On the three identified traffic offences, Kazeem explained that with the central role that speeding played in most of the fatal crashes recorded during the festive periods, enforcement of speed limiting devices in the new year would be more aggressive and non compromising.

He stressed that overloading of vehicle with goods and passengers and non-adherence to COVID-19 protocols in terms of social distancing would not be condoned.

“The corps is worried that with the threats of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and across the world, everyone must be made to adhere strictly to the guidelines issued by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) and obey all the traffic rules and regulations in the interest of our collective safety and public health,” he further stated.

He assured members of the public that FRSC would remain vigilant on the nation’s highways as travellers are returning to their homes after the Christmas and new year celebrations in various places, urging every motorist to show consideration for one another while using the road.