The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra, Mr Sunday Ajayi on Thursday said the command recorded 225 road traffic crashes in the state in 2016.
Ajayi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview in Onitsha that 54 of the crashes were fatal and 77 people were killed.
“On record, we have a total of 225 crashes in 2016 as against 229 in 2015. Out of the 225 crashes, 54 were fatal and 77 people were killed.
“When you compare the figure, 2016 was an improvement on that of 2015. We appreciate God and the good people of the state who supported the command to achieve the feat.
“We discovered that speed violation was the major cause of the crashes, while loss of control and dangerous driving were close to speed violation as factors that led to road traffic crashes on the roads,” Ajayi said.
The sector commander also said the command apprehended a total of 27, 365 offenders in 2016 as against 25, 857 arrests recorded in 2015 for various offences.
He stated that the figure increased in percentage, due to intensified effort by the corps in terms of enforcement.
“We identified black spots and made ourselves available in those areas to ensure we stem the tide of crashes in the state.
“Based on this, we advise the general public that safety on the roads is not by chance. We want people to come out this year to work with the command to achieve safety for everyone on the road.
“That is to say we need to make ourselves available for knowledge on road safety and have good foundation about the use of the road through driving schools and equipping ourselves with the Highway Code.
“We must take note that when we use the road, we require positive attitude that supports safety on the highway.
“This year, we must plan our journey, consider other road users and not struggle to play hard even when we are right,” the sector commander advised.
Ajayi urged motorists to be wise, obey traffic rules as well as obey law enforcers on the highways.
He said that the command would focus on speed; especially enforcement on speed limiters, tyre violation as well as enhance collaboration with stakeholders on road safety. (NAN)