280 killed, 1600 injured in road crashes in December –FRSC

Posted by admin Headlines Saturday, January 5th, 2013

From UBONG UKPONG, Abuja

The Federal Road Safety Corps[FRSC] yesterday said that about 280 people perished and 1,600 injured in road crashes across the country from December 19 to January 4, 2013. Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Osita Chidoka, made the disclosure while addressing newsmen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after carrying out aerial surveillance from the South-East Zone to Abuja.

He said these figures showed an improvement when compared with last year, adding that over 480 road crashes were recorded by the Corps within the same period. The FRSC boss disclosed that over 36,000 vehicles were stopped, 13,000 were booked, while 26,000 drivers of other vehicles were cautioned. Still speaking on the enforcement exercise on its Ember month programme tagged “ Operation Zero Tolerance”, he said 399 offenders were arraigned before the FRSC Mobile Court , noting that 370 were fined while 25 persons were discharged and acquitted by the court.

He further explained that only one person was sentenced to jail. Chidoka also stated that in the last ten years, the Corps has succeeded in reducing the spate of road crashes during the yuletide and New Year festivities in Nigeria. He added that the Corps efforts in managing the traffic gridlock across the country during this season have been very successful. According to him, “the FRSC has successfully brought down the rate of road crashes in Nigeria in the last ten years.”

He identified lessons and experienced gathered in the past operations, improved data collection and analysis, increased staff strength in the last one and half years and improved monitoring through the use of technology introduced by the FRSC management as being responsible for the success stories recorded by the Corps.
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