By Ibironke Ariyo
The Representative of all NGOs and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on road safety matters, Dr Yusuf Suberu, said that speed remained the major cause of Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) in Nigeria.
Suberu said this at a news conference to commemorate the World Day Of Remembrance For Accident Victims on Monday in Abuja.
He said that the purpose of the event was to sympathise and encourage the families of the victims on their plight while making efforts to initiate measures to address the challenges of keeping the road safe for all.
He added that it was a common knowledge that virtually every family had one or two members who must have experienced RTCs at one time or the other.
According to him, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that in the past decade, 1.3 million deaths had occurred through RTCs with about 20 to 50 million people suffering from injury resulting from the crashes.
He said “as part of the efforts of the stakeholders like the NGOs and CSOs, we discovered speed as a major factor that contributed to crashes in the country.
“This was evidenced by the outcome of the research, which shows that reduction in speed, no matter how small, can result in significant reduction in road trauma.
This is “looking at previous reports from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) where it recorded 19,787 RTCs and 9,227 deaths in 2021 and 2022.
“Out of probable causes this RTCs in Nigeria involving the number of people that died, Speed limit Violation (SPV) alone was found to be responsible for 52 per cent of the cases.
“This remembrance Day should therefore be seen as a wake up call for all stakeholders to join hands in addressing the challenges of road carnage on the continent and not only in Nigeria, ” he said.
Suberu, who doubled as the National Coordinator of Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) FCT, appealed to all drivers to always operate withing the speed limits while urging road users to obey traffic rules and regulations.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to lend his voice on the sad issue of preventable road deaths while appreciating the efforts of the FCT minister on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of over 135 roads in the territory.
Speaking, the Focal Person/Country Director of United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety and Injury Prevention in Nigeria, Prof. Sydney Ibeanusi, said that low speed had the potential to prevent many deaths and serious injuries.
Ibeanusi said that with the support of stakeholders, efforts to make Nigeria roads safe, to develop sustainable road transport systems across the country and to promptly respond to victims of road crashes, would be achieved.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event commemorating the World Day is set aside every third Sunday of November in memorial of victims of RTCs.
It is also to sympathise with their families and loved ones. (NAN)
