Raymond Ozoji, Awka
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) says it arrested 20,621 traffic offenders for seat-belt violation and a host of other traffic offences in Anambra state.
The commission also said that about 22,560 traffic offences were committed while 13,208 vehicles were impounded for road obstructions.
Briefing journalists on Monday at the command headquarters Awka, the sector commander, Mr. Andrew Ayodele Kumapayi, stated that from statistical analysis, there was 41% increase in enforcement activities by officers and men of the commission.
Kumapayi who gave a run-down of the commission’s activities in 2019, explained that the major traffic offence in 2019 was seat-belt violation, stressing that motorists were driving without using their seat-belts behind the wheels.
The sector commander also disclosed that the commission confiscated about 9,665 vehicles in 2018, which he noted was a significant increase in the number of offenders when compared to the records of last year.
He said that between 15th December, 2019 and 6th January, 2020, two persons were killed, 40 were injured, 13 were serious and two were minor injuries, amounting to 57 casualties.
Kumapayi however emphasized that the major objective of the commission was to ensure that the rate of road traffic crashes was reduced to the barest minimum, noting that even where there is a crash, there should be no deaths.
According to him, the commission will intensify public education this year in order to inculcate the culture of road safety in the minds of road users while sensitisation programmes will also be held in churches, markets, schools, motorparks and other strategic locations to further deepen the spread of road safety information and education in the state.
The sector commander also commended Governor Willie Obiano for the donation of four vehicles to the commission to aid its operations across Anambra state, noting that the state government has been very supportive of the activities and operations of the Federal Road Safety Commission in Anambra state.