The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Edo says a total of 143 persons died and 843 others were injured in various auto crashes across the state in 2017.
Mr Samuel Odukoya, the FRSC Sector Commander, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Tuesday.
Odukoya said 226 auto crashes were recorded in the state during the period involving 2,285 persons comprising 1,539 males, 598 females and 148 children.
The sector commander disclosed that during the yuletide alone, 21 cases of traffic crashes were recorded with 101 casualties of which 11 were killed and 90 persons injured.
According to him, a greater percentage of the accidents were due to over speeding, followed by mechanical deficiencies in the vehicles with brake failure alone accounting for about 10 per cent.
Odukoya added that two per cent of the accidents were due to tyre burst, while road traffic violations and wrong overtaking also accounted for two per cent each. (NAN)