Date: 2020-02-16

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has renewed its resolve to ensure that lives and property are protected on the roads in Kwara.

The Kwara Sector Commander of FRS, Mr Jonathan Owoade, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Saturday that the corps would not compromise enforcement of safety rules and compliance with traffic regulations.

Owoade said the command was working toward reducing Road Traffic Crash (RTC) to the barest minimum and ensuring that traffic regulations such as overloading, over speeding and drunk driving, were curbed in the state.

"We believe that this year, the rate of RTCs will be drastically reduced in Kwara; overloading will be a thing of the past and drivers will register their vehicles and obtain valid drivers’ licence.

"We hope that motorists will comply with standard traffic rules and regulations, we want excessive speed, use of drugs while on the road to reduce, these are some of our focus this year and we are committed to achieving them.

"We want Kwarans to take interest in vehicle maintenance, especially during this harmattan. If your car is not in good shape, you will not see well and it may lead to a crash, the same happens during the rainy season," he said.

On overloading, he said that vehicles should not be overloaded from motor parks, adding that anyone apprehended for overloading would be made to pay a fine of N10,000.

"We have met with park officials and we made them understand that overloading should not be condoned at motor parks.

"They have given us the go-ahead to arrest such offenders because some drivers insist on overloading their vehicles.

"If we apprehend them, we make them call for another car to offload or make the driver make two or more trips to convey such loads and take them through an enlightenment session and they still have to pay a fine of N10,000 for overloading.

"The issue of overloading should be tackled from the roots and that is what we are doing here in Kwara and that is why we go to their parks to enlighten them and we are glad it has been reduced significantly in the state.

"What we are doing is corrective, we are not after the money, we make them see reasons why they should not overload their vehicles. Overloading does no one any good," the sector commander said.

He appealed to the media to collaborate with the command to help enlighten the public and bring road safety awareness closer to the people. "We go to schools and religious centres to sensitise them on safety precautions on the roads.

"We also do a free vehicle safety check, which is part of the cardinal points of road safety.

"And in any case, if there is a crash or road obstruction or you see a reckless driver who may be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, we are still making it known to the public to call our emergency line 122," Owoade said.

NAN