The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Friday, 14th June, 2024, announced the deployment of no fewer than 1020 personnel for its Eid-El-Kabir Special Patrol to ensure free flow of traffic within road corridors in Anambra State
The Sector Commander of FRSC Anambra Command, Mr. Adeoye Irelewuyi, disclosed this during a press briefing on the address by the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, on Eid-El-Kabir Special Patrol in the state.
Mr. Irelewuyi said the command had deployed the personnel made up of FRSC regular marshals and FRSC special marshals to man the identified flash points of the state.
Some of the flash points are the Enugu Onitsha Expressway and the Old Awka-Onitsha Road, before Awka as well as the Upper Iweka.
He also pointed out that the corps had also deployed its men to the Aguata axis for vehicles moving towards Imo and other parts of the South East.
The sector commander noted that reflective jackets, traffic cones, tyre pressure gauges, a number of extricating machines and digital breathalyzers are part of the tools set aside for the special patrol operation.
He said: “I wish to relate to you some of the critical road traffic management issues as well as the strategies we have put in place to ensure that our roads are safe for all to use.
“I say this because; recent developments on our road reveal some of the challenges confronting safe use of the highways which the Corps has stepped up to confront on all fronts.
“These challenges include the ugly trend of using trailers and trucks to convey human beings, night trips, fatigue, speed violations, driving under influence, as well as overloading of vehicles.”
He said to combat these ugly trends and meet up with the changing times; especially developments coming from these unsafe behaviours like the use of trailers to convey passengers, the Corps introduced some key safety initiatives to tackle the menace.
“One of these is the result oriented efforts that have been directed towards effective collaboration with the State Judiciaries for timely prosecution of drivers and vehicle owners caught contravening established traffic regulations like overloading, dangerous driving, use of phone and speeding.
“These violations will be tamed through the instrumentally of mobile court operations.
“Another key road traffic infraction we have stepped up against is driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances.
“The Corps in collaboration with beer Sectorial Group has been able to make available adequate breathalyzers which have been deployed to motor parks and highways to check and stop drivers who control the wheels under alcohol and substance influence.
“This is to minimize tendencies of fatalities on our roads as most of the drivers who indulge in substance before mounting on the wheel always end up in fatal crashes,” he said.
He noted that the FRSC is doing aggressive sensitisation to all road users in their door steps especially drivers’ loading bays, camps and parks to appeal to the conscience of these drivers against unnecessary contravention of traffic rules.
The commander said that during the special patrol, the Corps would carry out aggressive enforcement including conducting Mobile Courts operations, with the aim of checking the following offences:
“Speeding and dangerous driving/overtaking; lane indiscipline/route violation; road obstructions; use of phone while driving; overloading; and seat-belt/child restraint use violations.
“Others are: Passenger’s manifest violation; operation of mechanical deficient and rickety vehicles; loading of trailers with passengers and illegal use of spy number plates among others,” he said.
The sector commander called on “the motoring public. especially commuters to know that the Corps cannot achieve a crash free celebration unless they play their part by checkmating the excesses of these drivers any time they transit from one destination. to another. When drivers drive recklessly, it is your right as commuters to speak up and report such drivers to FRSC Operatives or ony other security outposts on the highways.
“Expectedly, with the massive deployment of personnel and logistics and the envisaged public support, the Corps is confident that the celebration would be a huge success. On this note, let me reassure the motoring public of FRSC’s renewed vigour towards entrenching sanity on the roads, the Corps also wishes all Nigerians safe and peaceful EID-EL-KABIR celebrations”
