Mr Suleiman Mohammed, the Omu-Aran Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission in Kwara, on Tuesday said that the unit recorded 19 deaths in road traffic crashes.

Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Omu-Aran, the headquarters of the Irepodun Local Government, that the figure was from 57 road accidents recorded in the area between January and November.

According to him, 136 people sustained varying degree of injuries in the accidents during the period.

He also told NAN that 1,612 people were apprehended for various road traffic offences.

The offences included over speeding, reckless driving, overloading and non-usage of seat belts, among others.

Mohammed attributed the major causes of the crashes in the area to illiteracy, ignorance of the road traffic rules and regulations as well as impatience.

He decried the attitude of road users, especially commercial motorcyclists, saying that they disregarded road traffic regulations with impunity.

"The problem is that they do not stop even when they are flagged down for words of advice.

"They always think that we (FRSC) are on the road to disturb their businesses," he said.

Mohammed said that there was an influx of commercial motorcyclist operators to Omu-Aran from Lagos because of the restriction placed on their operation.

"We are aware of the increase in the number of Okada operators here as a result of the ban in Lagos.

"We are equally stepping up our surveillance to curb any criminality or atrocities through their operations," he said.

He said the commission had stepped up its operations in preparation for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

According to him, the command will increase its enlightenment campaigns to major roads and parks in order to reduce road crashes.

NAN reports that commercial motorcycle is the only means of public transportation in Omu-Aran and its adjoining towns like Oke-Onigbin, Ooro, Omupo and Ajase-Ipo.