FRSC laments 40,000 Nigerians die in avoidable road traffic crashes
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
More than 40,000 Nigerians die in road accidents every year, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disclosed.
FRSC Corps Marshal Dauda Biu, who made the disclosure in Abuja during activities marking the 7th United Nations Global Road Safety Week, said road traffic crashes and injuries are the leading causes of death and disability.
Globally, 1.3 million people are killed and 50 million get injured each year, he added, stressing the greatest threat to people aged 5-29 years is road traffic crashes, as one in every four deaths occurs among pedestrians and cyclists.
“In Nigeria, over 40,000 persons die annually as a result of this avoidable scourge,” Biu lamented.
He reiterated the United Nations has developed a global plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which he described as an ambitious target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 per cent by 2030.
Biu said the 2023 edition of Global Road Safety Week with the theme, “Sustainable Transport” would last from May 17 to May 24.
“FRSC is partnering with the World Health Organisation, Federal Ministry of Health and United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety and Injury Prevention to mark the event with various activities,” he explained.
He stressed the need to take action to ensure safe roads, vehicles, and behaviours as well as to improve emergency care is paramount.
“The 7th UN Global Road Safety Week is focusing on sustainable transport with the slogan #RethinkMobility, which necessitates the urgent need to shift to walking, cycling and using public transport.
“The key messages of this year’s event centre on the need for governments and their partners to rethink mobility.
“Ensuring safety must be at the core of efforts to re-imagine mobility and thus road networks must be designed with the most-at-risk in mind.”
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Government, partners to rethink mobility
Biu urged government at all levels and partners to rethink mobility with a mindset to providing access to safe and affordable mobility systems for all, according to reporting by Vanguard.
He also stressed the need for governments to
- Make provide accessible, resilient, low and sustainable mobility systems to create livable cities that would fulfil the mobility needs of all.
- Ensure safety at all costs
- Ensure road network is designed with the vulnerable road users most at risk in mind
Biu explained this would ensure vulnerable road users feel safe walking and cycling, and further promote good health, sustainable cities as well as an equitable society.
The Focal Person/Country representative, UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, Sydney Ibeanusi, a Professor, pledged the government would continue to put road safety on the front burner.
He stressed Nigeria has a better system and “what we want to show the world was that the system actually exists.
“Nigeria has been chosen as a country to improve cycling, and Abuja has been chosen as one of the five states globally.
“This is for project implementation to encourage cycling and we will not relent in our efforts.”
