The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has charged Safety Managers on the need to observe minimum safety standards by transport operators to protect the lives of the passengers and safety of the vehicles. Oyeyemi stated this today while declaring open a one-day Retreat organized by the FRSC for Safety Mangers from across the states of the federation at the FRSC National Headquarters Abuja.
According to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, Oyeyemi who was represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal in charge of Motor Vehicle Administration, Theophilus Charles, noted that the increasing relevance of road transportation in the country due to dependence on road as the most popular means of transportation makes it imperative that appropriate safety measures be put in place to address the challenges of using the road. He pointed out that over the years, road transport sector has continued to witness tremendous growth and development with increased numbers of road network, automobile sophistication and upsurge in socio-economic activities, which make it imperative that transport operators acquire the necessary capacity to assist them in safely managing the fleet of vehicles under them.
According to him, the present situation of road safety in the country calls for capacity development initiatives not only for staff of the FRSC, but its stakeholders, especially the Safety Managers. This, he said, would ensure holistic road safety programmes, as he identified the role they play in fleet management and general safety of road transportation as critical to ensuring safety on the nation’s highways. Oyeyemi further stated that all hands must be on deck to ensure constant capacity development initiatives to update the operators with the technical and professional competence of safety management in fleet operations.
“That was why the FRSC launched the Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme (RTSSS) in 2007 which provides minimum safety requirements for fleet operations and employment of Safety Managers by Fleet Operators to ensure strict adherence to safety rules and regulations,” he stated.
The Corps Marshal pointed out that having carefully studied the activities of fleet operators in the recent past in line with the FRSC mandates, there was the need for constant interface between the Corps and major players in fleet management to create understanding on safety matters for the overall benefits of road users. He expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of road crashes and fatalities involving vehicles of fleet operators as recorded by the FRSC in the last two years, saying every effort must be made to reverse the trend.
“For the avoidance of doubt, 343 Road Traffic Crashes involving vehicles of fleet operators were reported in 2016 resulting in the death of 358 persons while 1,523 were injured,” he stated. The FRSC Boss further noted that even as the record showed a drop as compared to 2015 when 540 crashes occurred with 410 deaths and 1,087 people sustaining various degrees of injuries, no responsible government will fold its hands to watch such continuous depletion of productive segment of its population without taking appropriate preventive measures.
“That is why FRSC has continued to put in place appropriate measures that could address the challenges of road carnage and management of the accompanying fatalities,” Oyeyemi stated.
After enumerating the various preventive measures taken by the FRSC to address some of the traffic challenges of the country including the introduction of speed limiters, Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS), Safe to Load programme and annual certification as well as the Driving School Standardization programme (DSSP), the Corps Marshal called on the participants to avail themselves of the opportunity created by the Retreat to update their knowledge of safety management in fleet operations and make useful contributions towards advancing the cause of road safety in the country.
The one-day Retreat which was attended by Safety Managers from the various transport companies operating in the country including that of government and private sector had some principal officers of the FRSC in attendance.
