Human Factors Responsible For 90% Of Road Accidents – ACC Uzoma

…as FRSC organises sensitization campaign in Obalende

By: Okosun Dennis

As part of its annual activities to sensitize drivers and other road users during the ‘Ember Months’ to adhere to safety rules of driving, 90% of road traffic crashes have been attributed to human factor.

While flagging off the 2022 sensitization campaign with the theme: “Avoid Speeding, Overloading and Unsafe Tyres To Arrive Alive,” at the Obalende Motor park on Monday, the Unit Commander, RS 2.14, Federal Road Satefy Commission, Lagos Island, Assistant Corps Commander Esther Uzoma, said the sensitization becomes very important because of an increased road traffic crashes during the Ember months.

Expatiating further, she explained that of the 90%, drivers’ action or reaction makes 80%. Such actions responsible ranges from driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol; overconfidence, illiteracy and poor driving skills.

Others are tiredness, lack of concentration as well as over speeding.

She noted that at FRSC, they have always put up necessary mechanism to curtail incidences just as they are working in terderm with other agencies to meet United Nations recommendation to reduce road crashes by 50% in 2030.

“It is obvious that during this period, people are involved in a lot of activities – both drivers and people – who are in business across the country.

During the well attended event by members of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), ACC Uzoma called on the drivers, and other affliate members to be sensitive to the fact that they have family members at home who might suffer the brunt should there be deaths resulting from reckless driving. She advised them to reduce their speed, overloading and refrain from using expired tyres on the excuse that there is economic crunch.

“We have always warned not to engage in terrible speed that would cause devastating consequences, while focussing on overloading because both commercial and private drivers, engage in overloading. Some carry the whole family members and all that they would use in their various villages while the commercial drivers overload to maximize profit.

Unfortunately, despite their campaigns and sanctions, it is still a common place to see some drivers violating laws on overloading. To this, ACC Uzoma reiterated that such violators have not been spared and they would continue to exploit relevant aspects of the laws to deal with such drivers.

“We arrest such drivers because it is an offence.” On stemming the use of alcohol, “our drivers have always gone out in the morning to sensitize them. About three weeks ago, we had an engagement with the Nigerian Breweries to sensitize the drivers too on the danger of alcoholism. You cannot drink and drive or drive and drink.

“We employ the use of technology like Breathalyser and alcolyzer to check the breathe of drivers who engage in drinking while driving and we would continue to do that and sanction violators,” ACC Uzoma reiterated.

On his part, the Branch Secretary, Lagos Park and Garrage, Obalende Comrade Kamadeen Adekunle, said the sensitization programme was a commendable initiative of the FRSC, Lagos Island and reiterated that the danger of overloading, speeding and use of unsafe tyres cannot be downplayed.

He disclosed that they carry out regular meetings with drivers at their various parks to check drivers who engage in alcohol consumption. “It has not been easy but we are doing our very best to make them understand the implications.”

On drivers who engage in One-Chance criminal gangs who operate in commercial vehicles to rob passengers of their belongings, he dispelled such insinuations that those gangs are not their members and do not carry passengers from their various parks, rather, “such drivers pick passengers along the road.

However, he added, “We have designed mechanism on checking every driver and we encourage passengers to use the parks rather than ‘board vehicles along the road.”

In her goodwill message to the FRSC, the Divisional Police Officer, Bar Beach Police Station, CSP Oyewole Taiwo cautioned the drivers against acoholism, which she averred is responsible for countless road accidents.

She observed that the activities of “One-Chance” criminals and kidnappers who hide under the guise of unions and members of the parks is becoming rife and called on the management of the parks to do all that they could to nip it in the bud.

Also, the Commander 055, Nigerian Airforce, Group Captain Aliyu, who was represented by Flight Lieutenant FA Atoro reminded the drivers of the old dictum: “prevention is better than cure.”

She stressed the need for the drivers to be mindful while driving because if accidents happens, before help could come their way, the victim would suffered tremendously.

Present at the sensitization flag off were the Area Commander, Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), Engr LA Adeleye; the Divisional Police Officer, Adeniyi Adele, SP Abidemi; DPO, SP Patrick Asiedu; Deputy Comptroller, Ikoyi Correctional Centre, CSP Oseni; Alpha Commander, LASTMA Olowu, Mr AA Adebajo; the representative of the Commanding Officer, NSLC, Lagos Island, Mr Olayinka among other dignitaries.