LAGOS – The Registrar/Chief Executive, Professional Driving and Safety Academy, Mr. Jide Owatunmise, in an exclusive chat with Daily Independent said, the rate of Road Traffic Crashes, Injuries and Deaths is still very high in Nigeria.
According to him, the 2023 data released by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) shows that about 5,000 (five thousand) people died in Road Traffic Crashes, RTCs.
The report by the World Health Organization (WHO) however, revealed that over 39,000 (Thirty nine thousand) people died in road traffic crashes in 2023 in Country.
He noted that though there is disparity between the figures released by FRSC and WHO, “we know who is correct and who is wrong.”
“If you look at the data of Traffic Offenders as released by the FRSC, it is mind-blowing. The report reveals that the number of Road Traffic Offenders apprehended in the year 2023 is 614,051 (six hundred and fourteen thousand, and fifty one).
“On the side of FRSC, the record of arrests is a record – breaking achievement. To me, I see the High figure of violators as a bad omen. It is clearly an evidence that too many people are either still ignorant of the Road Traffic Regulations and Road Rules while some are stubbornly disobeying the traffic laws thereby presenting themselves as Safety Risks on the roads”, he lamented.
Owatunmise stressed that the higher the number of traffic offenders, the higher the rate of Road Traffic Crashes, injuries and Deaths on Nigeria roads. The higher the rate of Road Rules violation, the higher will be the rate of Road Traffic Crashes, he said.
“It is worrisome that over 80 per cent of the current holders of Nigeria Drivers License do not know all the provisions of the National Road Traffic Regulations and the Nigeria Highway Code.
‘Over 70 per cent got their Drivers Licence without undergoing the full Theoretical and Practical training sessions in Driving Schools. What we see on the roads today is trial by errors driving which has been the root cause of the high rate of traffic law violations and crashes.
“The National Road Traffic Regulations (2012) clearly states that every Driver (and Rider) must undergo a minimum of 9 hours of Cummulative refresher training before the Drivers licence can be renewed. The compromise in the enforcement of this law has further worsened the level of knowledge, skills and attitudes of Drivers thereby placing Nigeria as one of the Countries with the highest rates of road traffic crashes and also among the worst countries to drive in”, Owatunmise said.
Adding that the high rate of compromise and corruption in traffic law enforcement is also another major cause of the high rate of traffic law violations and crashes.
“The continued loss of lives and properties on the road has a lot of viral effects on the Country, GDP, Communities, Families and Businesses among others.
“In order to quickly and effectively stem this disheartening tide, there is an urgent need for the Federal, State and Local Governments, Ministries of Works and Transportation, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) as the Lead Agency in Road Safety Administration, State Government Traffic Agencies, Directorate of Road Traffic Services (VIOs), Driving Schools, Transport Unions, NGOs and CSOs involved in Road Safety, Institute of Driving Instructors of Nigeria and other Stakeholders in Transportation and Road Safety to wake up to their responsibilities towards ensuring Safer Road Infrastructures and Safer Road Users.” He stressed.
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