The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has begun sensitisation and stakeholders engagement to mitigate road traffic crashes, fatalities and fire outbreaks by trailers conveying human beings.
The Corps’ Public Eduction Officer, Mr Jonas Agwu, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
He said patrol operatives were geared up towards arresting passenger vehicles carrying kegs with petroleum products and other inflammable substances.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in recent times, a number of crashes involving trailers and commercial buses resulted in fire outbreaks that led to the death of many commuters.
A major fire related crash had claimed 19 lives on April 28, at Okene bypass, on the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi.
Also, on April 30, 16 passengers were burnt to death after an 18-seater commercial bus crashed and burst into flames in Enugu State.
Jonas quoted the Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali-Biu, as directing all Commanding Officers to commence public education at all trailer parks, loading bays and their transit camps nationwide.
Ali-Biu said the advocacy entailed meeting the drivers, leadership of transport unions and owners of articulated vehicles.
This, he said, included visits to bus terminals, engagement of opinion leaders, youths, market men and women, traditional rulers and religious leaders.
“The essence is to appeal to the conscience of drivers against recklessness on the roads, overloading, use of trailers to convey passengers and of course, carrying kegs of petroleum products in buses.
“The sensitisation and stakeholders engagement campaign is already in top gear in Kano, Kaduna and Bauchi States where those traffic vices and resultant crashes are more prevalent.
“Expectedly, other states – Taraba, Imo, Enugu, Rivers, Benue, Borno, Katsina and the rest – are also engaging the stakeholders on all fronts,” he said.
Ali-Biu also directed that patrol operatives should be vigilant and conduct checks on commercial buses against carrying inflammable substances like petroleum products in their vehicles.
This, he said, was necessary in order to mitigate fire outbreak in the event of crash. (NAN)
By Ibironke Ariyo
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