The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos Command, on Tuesday paid tribute to road crash victims to mark the 2020 African Road Safety Day.
Mr Peter Kibo, FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer, in charge of Ogun and Lagos States, said that 2020 was the 25th anniversary of paying tribute to the road crashes victims.
“This year’s World Day of remembrance for road traffic victims themed: “Remember, Support, Act”, is apt, considering the need for all hands to be on deck in taming the tide of avoidable road traffic crashes.
“The objectives of this year remembrance day are to provide a platform for road traffic victims and their families to remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads.
“To acknowledge the crucial work of the emergency services and to draw the attention to the generally trivial legal response to culpable road deaths and injuries.
“And to advocate for better support for road traffic victims and their families and to promote evidence based actions to prevent, eventually further road traffic deaths and injuries,” he said.
Kibo, an Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM), said that the remembrance day has also become an important tool for stakeholders and government at all levels to involve in crash preventions.
According to him, the corps has made it a point of focus to minimise traffic crashes to the barest minimum through rigorous and sustainable public education and enlightenment and routine patrol.
He said that the corps had also improved personnel capacity, embark on constant vehicular free safety checks, prompt clearance of obstruction and rescue operations.
Mr Olusegun Ogungbemi, FRSC Lagos Sector Commander, in his remarks, said that road crashes were caused by three main factors, which included human, mechanical and environmental factors.
The sector commander, represented by Sector Head of Operation, Cyril Mathew, said that the prevailing factor among them was human factor.
“A synergy is therefore required between road users and traffic enforcement agencies, having established that the human factor is the most prominent cause of the road crashes.
“According to the statistics, over 1.25 million traffic deaths occur every year worldwide.
“Though low and middle income countries have only half of the world’s vehicles yet they still have 90 per cent of the world’s road traffic crashes.
“This is safe to say that developing countries have the highest road crash incidence and road traffic death rate,” he said.
Mr Elijah Ayodele, Secretary, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ojodu Berger Branch, in his remark, urged the government to continuously embark on more sensitisations among the motorists to ensure sanity on the road.
Ayodele said that government should give more support to the agencies involved in road management to enable them work effectively to curb crashes on the roads.
“The traffic agencies at both federal and state levels should be well funded and equipped to allow them perform their duties effectively,” he said.
He said that the union was working hard to enlighten its members on road safety, especially during the ember months periods.
