The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has disclosed that it recorded a 25 per cent reduction in the total number of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC), a 53 per cent decrease in people killed, and a 43 per cent reduction in the number of people injured in crashes that involved 522 people on Nigerian roads during the 2023 Eid-el-Kabir special patrol operations that held from 26 June to 01 July 2023.
In the special patrol operation that lasted for six days, the Corps recorded a total of 88 RTCs as against 118 in the same period in 2022, representing a 25 per cent reduction.
In the same vein, a total of 38 people were killed, against 88 in the previous year representing a 53 per cent decrease, while 211 people got injured in 2023 against 373 in 2022 representing a 43 per cent decrease.
These statistics were made known in a report by the Assistant Corps Marshal and Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, in Abuja on Wednesday.
A look into the report showed that the Corps also rescued a total of 273 victims without injuries in 2023 against 347 in the same period in the year 2022. More so, a total of 4,116 offenders were apprehended over 4,682 offences committed across 2,053 routes covered by the Corps.
The report noted that the reduction in road traffic crashes during the 2023 Eid-el-Kabir celebration period was a result of improved and rejigged patrol operations, robust public enlightenment campaign, injection of more operational vehicles for enhanced visibility, prompt rescue services, enhanced stakeholder collaboration, wider coverage of the national road network due to the establishment of more FRSC Commands, Outposts, roadside clinics and Zebra points among others.
“The positive changes in the reduction of offences and offenders and impoundments also captured above is attributable to an increase in public enlightenment, enforcement, traffic control, cooperation from stakeholders, and the fully automated process of obtaining driver’s licence which ensures that motorists must be trained in driving schools before they are qualified to apply for their licences” the report added.
Reacting to the report of the special patrol operations, the Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, who expressed his delight over the success, pledged that the Corps will sustain the tempo and enhance its effort towards entrenching safety on all roads.
This was as he urged the motoring public to be disciplined and practice safe-road-use culture, by giving maximum cooperation to FRSC personnel and other traffic law enforcers on the highways.
He also called on the general public to always tune in to the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM, as well as notify FRSC in the event of an emergency through its emergency line 0700-CALL-FRSC (0700-22553772) or toll-free number 122 for prompt response.
