No fewer than 113 fatalities from road traffic accidents were reported in Edo State between January and September 2022, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in that state.
The FRSC State Sector Commander, Henry Benemaisia, stated this in a statement on Wednesday.
At the launch of the "Ember Months" campaign in the state, Mr. Benemaisia said that the deaths were reported from roughly 193 collisions.
A total of 456 people were reportedly involved in the total number of crashes, 58 of which were fatal, 106 of which were serious, and 29 of which were minor.
He claimed that 477 people suffered injuries of varying severity, and he added that these numbers were worrisome. He urged everyone to work together to stop the bloodshed.
He said research conducted by the command indicated that the rapid causes of crashes included impatience, indiscipline and intolerance.
In addition, he explained that impatience on the part of drivers had to do with the lack of time management and planning, “whereas indiscipline is characterised by dangerous driving, wrongful overtaking, indiscriminate parking, route violation, poor vehicle maintenance, excessive speeding, overloading, driving with worn-out tyres, distracted driving attitude and others.
“Intolerance is characterised by hostility among motorists and inconsideration for other road users, and these are known as the three Is,” he said.
The sector commander noted that though people had given bad connotations to the Ember months and made them sound dreadful, they were, however, just like other months.
He emphasised the command’s readiness to combat road crashes and other road mishaps in the state in order to ensure a safe crossover into the year 2023.
Mr Benemaisia quoted Governor Godwin Obaseki, who was the special guest of honour at the event, as reiterating the government’s readiness to continually support the FRSC in its efforts to reduce road crashes in the state.
He said the governor, represented by the state’s Head of Service, Mr Anthony Okungbowa.
According to him, the governor further called on state residents to key into the 2022 ember month theme: ‘Avoid Speeding, Overloading and unsafe Tyres to arrive alive, and be safety conscious’ to ensure that “our roads are safe for motorists and other road users.
“As a government, we are very concerned with the challenges on our roads. The Edo State government will not sit on its oars but create an enabling environment and support for the corps.”
(NAN)