Psychiatrist tests for traffic offenders reduced road crashes – TRACE

The Commander and Chief Executive Officer of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, ‘Seni Ogunyemi, said that subjecting traffic offenders, particularly, route violators to psychiatric tests has helped to reduce accident in the state.

Ogunyemi said asking erring drivers, particularly those who drive on ‘one-way’ to visit psychiatric hospitals is a corrective measure adopted to deter such drivers from repeating the same offence.

The TRACE boss, according to a statement on Sunday, stated this when the executive members of Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta Chapter, visited him at his Ibara, Abeokuta office.

Ogunyemi explained that these corrective measures, including payment of fines and other strategies being adopted have been quite effective and helped to drastically cut down incidents of accidents in the state.

He revealed that other initiatives include introduction of road Traffic Mayors and Marshals, TRACE Clubs in various schools, to catch them young and capacity-building training for the officers among others, to enhance their professionalism.

Ogunyemi called on the medical personnel to interface and support the agency on its road safety programmes, to enlighten residents in the state.

He said, “The rate at which people were dying on our roads before now was alarming, to the extent that they call us a ‘mortuary state’, but it is now ‘life-saving state’, as a result of government’s intervention and corrective measures being put in place by TRACE.

“This includes asking road traffic offenders to pay fines and go for psychiatric tests, if need be, to curb their excesses. This is not punishment but ways to correct them and deter them from repeating the same offence”.

Responding, Chairman of the association, Dr. Sola Adebisi, commended TRACE officers for their good conduct and efforts on the roads, promising that the association would build on the existing relationship with the agency.

Meanwhile, the state chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mrs. Seun Boye, has pleaded for the support of TRACE for the successful hosting of 2024 Nigeria Public Relations Week coming up in April.