The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has warned that incessant use of counterfeit tyres, overspeeding and cases of banditry, robbery and kidnapping on highways, are now the greatest killers of motorists in the country.
To mitigate the number of victims and reduce carnage on roads, the FRSC warned motorists against patronising expired tyres, engaging in excessive alcohol intake and night trips to prevent being attacked by robbers, kidnappers and bandits.
The FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, said this in Ifaki Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State at the weekend during the 2023 special motorpark mega rally to sensitise stakeholders on safety tips on highways.
Present at the event are State and Local Government officials, traditional rulers, religious leaders, driver unions, commercial motorcyclists/Tricyclists, sister security agencies, among others.
Biu, represented by Corps Commander Charles Edem, who spoke against substandard products, warned the road users to always purchase standard tyres, as the danger inherent in using “tokunbo or fake tyres” was far more terrific than the difference in prices.
“There was also a need for adequate rest before and during a long driving. Alcohol intake makes some drivers to be reckless and overspeed while traveling at night can make you predisposed to kidnapping, robbery and death.
“Cases of overspeeding, insecurity and the use of expired tyres are now the highest killers of motorists on our highways and we have to desist from them to safeguard our lives,” Biu said.
At the programme, where playlets were staged against the evils inherent in reckless driving, the Sector Commander ,Ekiti State, Olusola Joseph, revealed that overspeeding accounts for 25.8 percent of deaths on Nigerian roads.
Joseph, represented by his Deputy Corps Commander, Olajide Mogaji, said, “Past records in the corps revealed that overspeeding is a major cause of road traffic crashes and attendant fatalities, which poses challenges facing traffic management in Nigeria.
Joseph appealed to members of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and other private car and motorcycle owners to partner the FRSC to reduce untimely deaths on highways.
