From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

The Ondo State sector command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disclosed that no fewer than 134 persons died of road accidents between January and October this year.

This, the corps noted was a reduction in the level of road accidents in the state compared with last year.

The state sector Commander, Mr Ezekiel SonAllah, disclosed this during a programme held in commemoration of the 2022 African Road Safety Day and World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Akure.

The programme with the theme “Justice” with the slogan “Remember Support Act” was put together by the state sector command of the FRSC to sensitize the public on the need to be careful while on the road, especially highways.

SonAllah attributed the reduction to the continuous awareness and sensitisation campaigns embarked upon by the command at churches, mosques, motor parks and other public places across the state.

The sector commander explained that the number of people injured in 2021 was 775, while 852 were injured in 2022 with an increase of 9.93 per cent.

Similarly, he said that161 deaths were recorded in 2021 while 134 deaths were recorded in 2022, which is a decrease of 16.77 per cent.

He explained further that in 2021, 409 were recorded while 320 were in 2022, which is a decrease of 21.7 per cent in total road crashes.

Related News

He said that the statistics were between Jan. 2021 and Oct. 2021 on one hand and Jan. 2022 and Oct. 2022 on the other hand.

SonAllah, who emphasised that safety on the road was the collective responsibility of all road users, said that all hands must be on deck to achieve zero crashes between now and the 2023 remembrance day celebration.

“But the reduction is not enough. This figure is still very high, still not acceptable and not what we want, we will not relent until we record zero crashes on our roads.

“So, we still have work to do. We must work together, particularly as the remaining part of the year is always characterised by high traffic volume.

“So, I want to implore not only the people of Ondo State, we all must be safety conscious and patient while on the highway.

“And we don’t want to record crashes any longer between now and the end of the year and beyond 2022. That is our prayer,” he said.

SonAllah, who appreciated Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for his road infrastructure development across the state, charged road users to always obey traffic rules and regulations.

He said, “whether you are a driver, a passenger or a pedestrian, once you belong to any of these three categories, you have responsibilities on road safety.”