The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Gombe State command, said at least 76 persons died in 300 road crashes in the state between January and August.
The State Sector Commander, Mr Ishaku Ibrahim, said this at a press conference in Lafiyawo Community in Akko Local Government Area of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the press conference was part of the activities lined up by the command to mark the commencement of the ’ember months’ campaign.
Ibrahim said that within the period under review, 1,333 persons were involved in various crashes, 798 others sustained various degrees of injuries, while 459 were unhurt.
He said there was an increase in the number of crashes between January and August, when compared with the 2020 statistics of crashes in the state.
According to him, between January and August 2020, 46 persons were killed in 191 crashes, 545 others sustained various degrees of injuries, while 438 were unhurt.
The sector commander attributed the increase in the crashes to different factors, including speed limit violation, defective lightening system, reckless driving at night, use of phones while driving and route violation.
Ibrahim said the sensitisation campaign, billed to be launched on Friday, would be taken to worship centers and motor parks.
He said that relevant stakeholders in the transport sector would also be engaged on the need for safe driving.
He further said that ember months usually record high volume of traffic because of heavy movements of people, preparatory to the Yuletide.
“Because of this, we will step up our rescue operations and surveillance, especially at night, to minimise the fatalities usually recorded during night journeys,” Ibrahim said.
He advised motorists and passengers to avoid night journeys, over speed and other road unfriendly acts that could threaten their lives on the road. (NAN)
