Nigeria is most dangerous country to drive in – FRSC

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Thursday said available record rated Nigeria as one of the most dangerous countries to drive in the world.

Boboye Oyeyemi, corps marshal/chief executive of FRSC, made the disclosure in Benin City at the 2015 Ember Month flag-off by the Edo State Sector Command of the Corps in collaboration with Guinness Nigeria plc.

BusinessDay reports that the Ember month campaign tagged “Operation Sanity, Drive Safely into 2016” is geared towards creating awareness about responsible drinking, promoting the enjoyment of alcohol and other brands of the company as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Oyeyemi, represented by Shehu Alkali Zaki, zonal commanding officer of Zone RS5, Benin City, said Nigeria also ranked as the third country with the highest rate of accidents and fatalities among 193 countries in the world.

He also disclosed that recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report noted that about 1.3 million people were killed through road crashes annually and that over 50 million people were injured or disabled every year globally, with most of them occurring in African countries including Nigeria.

Nigeria recorded a total of 10,380 road traffic crashes in 2014 alone, which resulted to the death of 5,996 and 32,063 persons sustained various degrees of injuries, he said.

The Corps Marshall noted that aside Boko Haram insurgency, accidents were currently by far the main cause of violent death in Nigeria, saying the Commission had however deployed a number of strategies to reduce to its barest minimum the high rate of traffic accidents in the country.

The measures putting in place to checkmate the high incidences rate of road traffic crashes by the commission are the compulsory installation of speed limiting device in vehicles with effect from April 1, 2016.

In his remark, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole called on the executives of the various transport unions to help cautioned their members against violating traffic rules and regulations.

Oahiomhole, who was represented by the state commissioner for transport, Isimeme Iriogbe, also called on the road users to be extremely careful in this ember months period as a lot of vehicular movement were usually recorded in the period.

IDRIS UMAR MOMOH