Updated: Trading on highways endangers lives, obstructs traffic, FRSC warns

• Corps begins end of year special patrol

The Federal Road Safety Corps has asked traders across the country to desist from selling goods on highways to avoid unnecessary loss of lives, especially during the Yuletide.

Acting Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dauda Biu, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

He said that the advice was important so as to prevent vehicles running into those selling goods on the roads.

He expressed concern over the number of casualties recorded from crashes that involved roadside traders.

Biu said that such sellers, apart from obstructing the flow of traffic, exposed their lives to danger on the roads leading to loss of lives and properties.

He added that such crashes could be avoided if the traders are cautious, adding that those who continued trading along the road, were creating serious security risk to themselves.

According to him, there is the need for sellers to have consideration for other road users to prevent traffic congestion on the roads.

“These sellers by the road side even get knocked down and they disturbed the traffic flow.

“I want to appeal to them that their lives are at risk apart from disturbing the flow of traffic, “he said.

The FRSC Acting Corps Marshal also warned drivers, who drive on one way, to desist from such acts, especially during Yuletide to avoid unnecessary gridlock.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the FRSC began its special end of the year Operation Zero tolerance to Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) on Thursday, Dec. 15, to end on Sunday Jan. 15, 2023.

NAN also reports that the FRSC Acting Corps Marshal, Biu, on Friday, Dec. 16, embarked on a special monitoring exercise along the Abuja-Kaduna road to ensure free flow of traffic during the festive season.

Meanwhile, the corps has announced the commencement of its end of the year special patrol operations code-named ‘Operation Zero’.

It assured the public of adequate mobilisation of personnel and logistics that will engender hitch free trips for all travellers.

The operation which commenced on 15 December, 2022 is to end on 15 January, 2023, according to a statement by Bisi Kazeem, assistant corps marshal in charge of the Corps Public Education.

It reported Biu as authorising the special patrol and charged all Commanding Officers to mobilise both material and human resources within their general operational areas for the operation.

This, he said, “is to minimise or tackle assiduously, all variables that are responsible for traffic gridlock, obstructions and road crashes nationwide.”

Biu said the FRSC operatives had been mandated to educate road users and “ensure that drivers whose actions and inactions endanger other road users are apprehended, their vehicles impounded and appropriate sanctions meted on them.”