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The Federal Road Safety Corps Sector Commander in Ekiti State, Olusola Joseph, has said that 32 persons were killed in 69 road crashes recorded in the state between January and mid-September, 2022.
Joseph, who blamed the accidents on speeding on the part of drivers of the vehicles and poor conditions of roads, called for safe driving and ensuring vehicles were in good conditions including having good tyres.
The corps commander, who spoke in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said, “From January to date, by our records, we have 69 crashes in Ekiti State; out of this, 18 of them were fatal cases involving loss of lives.
“Thirty-two were serious where people got injured, while we have 18 minors. About 141 persons sustained injuries and the total killed was 32.
“The causes of the crashes vary. Most of them were perhaps due to speeding. Some of them were as a result of the potholes on the roads which the drivers were trying to dodge. Most of the crashes were head-on collisions.
“The worst of the accidents that we recorded this year happened as a result of head-on-collision between Aisegba and Iluomoba in the Gbonyin Local Government area. That was the case where we recorded death of seven persons; some of the dead ones were burnt beyond recognition.
“I want to appeal to motorists in the state that their families need them, Ekiti State needs them, Nigeria needs them. So, they should be mindful of the way they drive. They should be safety conscious and they should drive safely while they are on the roads.”
The sector commander, who dismissed existence of any myth surrounding “Ember Months”, hinged increase in crashes around year-ending on the increase in activities/festivities, movements of persons, impatience and speeding on the part of the drivers to catch up with large number of travellers.
“As part of efforts to ensure accident-free ember months and beyond, we (FRSC) have some plans for the end of the year. Part of the plan is to reach out to the larger populace.
“We do this by carrying our enlightenment campaign to churches, mosques, market places, community leaders so that they can talk to their people.
“We are also planning a mega rally, with our end of year campaign theme, ‘Avoid speeding, overloading and unsafe tyres to arrive alive’. When you look at the crashes, they boil down to all these things.
“People speed more than necessary, they overload their vehicles more than necessary so that when there is an emergency, they will not be able to control the vehicle.
“Also, unsafe tyres; people because of their economic situation go for second-hand tyres which could have expired. These are issues we will address at the enlightenment programmes and mega rally,” Joseph said.
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