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Raymond Ozoji, Awka
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has said that Ember Months are periods in the year when people erroneously believe that evil forces on the roads are responsible for road crashes and fatalities.
This was the crux of the matter at the 2018 Ember Months Awareness Campaign Flag-off at TRACAS park Awka tagged “Safe Driving Saves Lives”, where the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Commission Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi stressed that road mishaps were not caused by evil forces but by the struggle of people to travel to meet their loved ones.
The Corps Marshal represented by the zonal commanding officer of the commission RS5 Benin city Edo state, Mr. Kehinde Adeleye, noted that more trips on the part of commercial drivers to make more profits in preparation for the Yuletide without adequate rest were some of the remote causes of road mishaps.
Oyeyemi emphasized that it was the resolve of the Corps to use the media as well as all other public enlightenment platforms to dispel the erroneous belief that accidents on the roads were caused by malignant forces and to also proffer a way forward for the reduction of road traffic crashes
He therefore informed all and sundry that the weather condition was changing hence the need for motorists to ensure that headlamps were in good condition in case of low visibility .
The Anambra State Sector Commander of the commission Mr.Sunday Michael Ajayi in his speech emphasized that the Ember Months Campaign was a strategy towards actualizing the 2018 strategic goals of the commission aimed at reduction of road traffic crashes by 15% and fatalities by 30% adding that all hands must be on deck as road safety was a shared responsibility.
He observed that the rate of road traffic crashes was high and that the situation called for urgent steps to deal with the menace.
According to him, “As a command we remain committed to the avowed ideal of the corps to intensify a well-coordinated enforcement capacity, effective traffic management and robust public enlightenment to sanitize the highways In the course of the year.” He assured all road users in Anambra state a stress-free traffic experience.
Meanwhile, Governor Willie Obiano who was represented on the occasion by the Head of Service Barr. Harry Uduh explained that the state government was currently working on roads across the state especially as the rains were over.
Uduh noted that the FRSC could testify to the efforts of the Obiano administration on road infrastructure stressing that the governor was committed to the provision of quality roads and other amenities necessary to enhance their living conditions.
