Moses Akaigwe
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC ) Sector Commander in charge of Lagos, Mr. Olusegun Ogungbemide, has recommended the restriction of the movement of heavy duty trucks {trailers and fuel tankers} in the state as a solution to the frequent accidents involving such vehicles.
Ogungbemide said the roads would be safer if the tankers and trailers are restricted to the hours between midnight and 5 am, adding, however, that the state government needs to enact a law to make the measure enforceable.
The Sector Commander who was interacting with the motoring press identified a major cause of the crashes involving heavy duty vehicle s on Otedola Bridge to the inability of the tractor heads with low engine capacity to pull the heavily laden trucks up the hilly road after descending the steep slope.
According to him, the command’s accident investigators have also discovered that over-speeding contributes to the crashes involving the trucks at the Kara Bridge, stating that the drivers panicky step on the brake when they suddenly come upon the bad sections of the road.
He added that the problem has been considerably solved following an appeal by the FRSC to Julius Berger which smoothened the rough patches.
Consequently, the rate of crashes and fatalities along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has reduced even as the corps concentrates on the corridors due to the synergy with other agencies, including Lagos State Traffic Management Authority {LASTMA}, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency {LASEMA}, VIO and others.
Ogungbemide also proffered solutions to the Apapa traffic gridlock, including the construction of road, provision of parking space for tankers, checking the activities of hoodlums in the area, and the introduction of call-up system. for trucks coming to load cargo.
He looked back at the past five months since he assumed duties in Lagos, saying that the sector has recorded huge successes, even as he lamented the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ENDSARS protests that set the command back by many years.
“Covid-19 and the ENDSARS protests have taken us 15 years backwards,” he added in reference to the vandalisation of the command’s offices and destruction of over 17 vehicles at different locations within the command.
Not daunted by the huge challenges posed by the damages done to its equipment and vehicles, the command had already commenced the end-of-year safety campaign leading up to the Christmas/New Year season which he believed would continue unhindered.
Ogungbemide commended the Corps Marshall, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, for providing some new vehicles to the command to ensure that it sustains the efforts to reduce the rate of crashes in the state.