FRSC shifts focus from counting victims to saving lives as road crashes claim 3,400 in 2025

FRSC shifts focus from counting victims to saving lives as road crashes claim 3,400 in 2025

 

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it is intensifying efforts to change driver behaviour and reduce fatalities on Nigerian roads after revealing that more than 3,400 people lost their lives in road crashes between January and September 2025.

The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, who disclosed the figures in Abuja at the flag-off of this year’s Ember Months Campaign, said the agency is tired of merely publishing grim statistics and is now shifting its energy toward prevention and personal responsibility.

“Our message this year is simple: take responsibility for your safety,” Mohammed declared. “Most of these crashes were not caused by fate or bad roads, but by human choices—driver fatigue, overloading, speeding, and carrying passengers in haulage vehicles.”

Themed “Take Responsibility for Your Safety: Stop Distracted Driving,” the 2025 campaign is designed to reduce the surge in crashes that typically occur between mid-December and January, when millions of Nigerians travel for the holidays.

According to the FRSC, a total of 6,858 crashes were recorded within the first nine months of the year, injuring over 22,000 people.

However, the Corps Marshal emphasised that behind every number is a preventable tragedy — a breadwinner, student, or family member lost to avoidable carelessness.

To curb the recurring menace, the FRSC is deploying personnel and Special Marshals to major highways and black spots nationwide.

It will also conduct free vehicle checks, hold motor park rallies, and engage transport unions in town hall meetings to promote safer driving culture.

Mohammed further announced that the Corps is strengthening collaboration with driving schools and fleet operators to improve driver training, while mobile courts will be reactivated along critical corridors to swiftly handle traffic offences such as speeding and overloading.

He also revealed plans to host an International Conference on Road Crash Victims in Africa from November 16–18, 2025, in partnership with the KRSD Road Safety Foundation.

The event will focus on improving post-crash care and advancing the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety agenda.

“Our goal is no longer to count the dead but to save the living,” Mohammed said. “Road safety is a collective responsibility, and every driver must understand that the life they save could be their own.”