Francis Sardauna
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Tuesday warned motorists to desist from driving under the influence of intoxicating substances to avert prevailing cases of crashes before, during and after the ‘ember months’.
The FRSC also admonished motorists, especially commercial drivers to avoid overloading, night travels and over-speeding in order to curb road accidents during the ember months.
The Zonal Commanding Officer RS1HQ, Kaduna, Assistant Corps Marshal Godwin Omiko, who gave the warning during the flag off of the 2021 ember months campaign in Katsina, lamented the spate of road crashes in the country.
He explained that the use of intoxicating substances, negligence, over-speeding and overloading by motorists were the bane of fatal road crashes that often lead to deaths and severe injuries across the nation.
He said: “The crashes we are witnessing on our roads are not healthy at all. On daily basis, we are witnessing fractions leading to deaths, severe injuries and rendering homes fatherless and motherless.
“Many children have been rendered fatherless because of the reckless driving and over-speeding by drivers who drive under the influence of intoxicating substances like drugs and alcohol.
“Therefore, motorists should not drive on the influence of intoxicating subtsances, aviod overload, over-speeding and night journeys because these will go a long way in reducing the number of road crashes.”
In his welcome address, the Katsina Sector Commander of FRSC, Ali Sule Tanimu, implored drivers to refrain from over-speeding that could lead to unnecessary loss of lives and property.
According to him, the 2021 ember months road safety campaign with the theme: ‘Maintain Safe Speed, Avoid Night Travels and Enjoy Quality Road Experience’, was aimed at reducing fatalities as the period was normally characterized by increased vehicular movement.
Meanwhile, free medical check up and eye test were conducted on motorists at the event by teams of medical personnel from the state Eye Care Centre and General Hospital.
