FRSC embarks on nationwide ember month campaign, says end of year not tragic

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The agency saddled with safety regulation on roads in Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has commenced its nationwide end of the year campaigns with advise to motorist to drive carefully during this period and disregard the belief that end of the years are naturally tragic.

Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal, FRSC called on the motoring public to make the year 2020 ’ember months’ unique and crash free by adhering strictly to road traffic regulations.

With the year’s theme; ‘Drive Safe and Stay Safe’, he stated among others, that road traffic crashes are avoidable and road crash free society is possible when best road practices are applied.

In a release made available to Nation update through Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the Corps Marshal strongly cautioned motorists to note that the end of the year is not tragic and are not in anyway different from other months of the year, only that there seem to be an increase in vehicular movement witnessed during the season.

He however discredited such myth that the last four months of the year commonly referred to as ’ember months’ are hazardous for motorists.

Oyeyemi, said that it is very possible to drive without involving in a crash as long as motorists obey and adhere strictly to traffic laws and ensure constant maintenance of their vehicles.

The Corps Marshal in order to guide commuters on the path of safety and minimise the tendencies of crashes and gridlocks has issued out some salient travelling and safety advisories to travellers.

The release stated, “With the rapid infrastructural development going on in the rail transportation sector under the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, commuters are advised to maximise that alternative means of transportation by patronising the train stations where available, as this will drastically reduce the pressure on the road transportation sector.”He advised that as a safety measure, the traveling public must start thinking about transport sharing as early as possible, to reduce pressure on the road as this will further reduce incidences of road traffic crashes.

He said, “Family and friends are further admonished to plan and travel in phases, so as to avoid cluster of traffic during the ember months.”

Oyeyemi further admonished traveling public to imbibe caution when choosing the vehicles to board especially for long distance trips.

“patronise safe and secure mass transit companies that have been duly certified to operate. This is to make room for redundancy plans in the event of vehicle breakdown,” he said.

Night trips he said are not as safe as day trips, as such, travellers must try as much as possible to plan their trips within the hours of the day because of visibility and fatigue factors on the side of the driver.

All COVID-19 protocols he admonished must be kept to by both the transport companies and the traveling public, that the Corps will not spare any fleet operator caught violating these directives.

such measures as, enforcement on 50% carrying capacity for all vehicles. He however stated, “Terminals and parks are expected to double up their efforts in providing adequate running water with soap and sanitisers in their parks and terminals. While maintaining physical distancing.”

The Corp Marshal advised that the use of air conditioner could be avoided as much as possible in the cause of such trips, maintained that all vehicles must have sanitisers inside them while complying with every bit of travelling directives that has been put in place.