The Gombe State Sector of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Thursday, said 133 lives were lost in 262 road crashes between January and October in the state.
The State Sector Commander, Dr Godwin Omiko, said this during the flag-off of ‘Ember months’ safety campaign on Thursday in Gombe.
“We have recorded about 262 crashes involving a total of 1,535 persons out of which 133 were killed while 781 sustained various degrees of burns and injuries,” he said.
He added that 226 motorcycles and tricycles, 137 vehicles and 59 trucks were involved in the crashes.
Omiko said that from past experience, crashes increased during the ember months for obvious reasons.
“But we can say no and reverse the trend through our conscious efforts at avoiding all that could lead to crashes this season,” he said.
Omiko said that the command was committed to enforcing the rules of the road and providing improved and prompt rescue services to save lives of crashed victims.
In his remarks, Gov. Inuwa Yahaya, who was represented by his Deputy, Mr Manasseh Jatau, called on road users to abide by traffic rules and regulations, especially during the ember months.
He warned drivers to desist from driving vehicles with a mechanical problem and taking drugs while driving.
According to him, most of the crashes are as a result of negligence in driving.
Alhaji Ibrahim Bala, Chairman National Union of Road Transport Workers commended the efforts of the FRSC for sensitising the public on safety measures to stay alive.
According to him, some time road crashes occur not from the driver’s side but due to poor condition of roads.
He appealed to the Federal and State governments to rehabilitate the roads to reduce the rate of crashes in the country.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the FRSC, in collaboration with some stakeholders, is providing free eye screening and drug test as part of the ember month sensitization programme.