Kaduna (Nigeria) – As part of strategy to reduce rates of road accident in 2017, the Federal Road safety Corps (FRSC) in Kaduna state (North-west Nigeria) has announced a banned on the sales of alcohol and other illicit drugs in motor parks across the state, saying, it would collaborate with the Kaduna State Government, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers and other relevant agencies to enforce the ban.
The FRSC Sector Commander Francis Udoma, made this known while briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Kaduna.
According to him, the ban became necessary following reports that a lot of driver takes all kinds of illicit drugs before driving, thereby engendering their life and that of passengers.
He noted that, drivers would equally be sensitize in all parks across the state against the habit of drinking alcohol or taking any form of illicit drugs, which contributes to high number of accidents.
On the total number of people that lost their lives in car accidents, Udoma said, from January to December, 2016, no fewer than 413 people lost their lives in 596 accidents, involving 821 vehicles and 4,616 people in the state; adding that, 2,448 people sustain various degree of injuries within the period, making the total number of casualties to 2, 897, an increase from 2,481 recorded in 2015.
He also said that there was equally an increase in number of accidents from 485 in 2015 to 596 in 2016.
“There was however a decrease in the number of deaths from 443 recorded in 2015 to 413 in 2016 and an increase in the number of injured from 2,038 in 2015 to 2448 in 2016, “he said.
Udoma however caution motorists on over speeding and urged them to install speed limit device to check against untimely death, saying “speed thrills, but kills”.
He also pointed out that, all commercial tricycles and buses that do not adhered to the prescribed state colour, plate number and registration would be impounded as part of efforts to bring sanity to the road.
