The Acting Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dauda Ali Biu has again warned drivers against exceeding the posted speed limit, advised against night trips. He also urged them to always observe a rest period of 30 minutes after every 4 hours of driving in order to avoid the dangers of excessive speed and fatigue on the highways.
This warning comes in response to the fatal crash that occurred during the early hours of Tuesday along the Kwali-Abaji expressway.
The Assistant Corps Marshal Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer for the Federal Road Safety Corps, said that Biu made this cautionary appeal while describing the avoidable collision that took place on November 22, 2022, at around 0630 HRS, along the Kwali-Abaji expressway, before Awawa.
According to the investigation into the deadly collision, a Toyota Bus with the registration number (GME 201 ZU) and a DAF Trailer with the registration number (BAU 632 XA) were both involved in the crash as a result of violating the speed limit.
Unfortunately, out of the 22 people who were inside the vehicle at the time of the collision, 17 victims—all men—died. In addition, 4 other occupants—all male victims—who were saved alive had injuries of varying severity, while the final male occupant was saved unharmed.
According to reports, speeding too fast (violating the speed limit) and being tired were the key factors in the collision.
As of the time of this release, the emergency rescue team of the Corps has finished transporting the injured victims to Abaji General Hospital for prompt medical care, while the bodies of the deceased victims were deposited at a morgue nearby.
Speaking about the accident’s causes, Dauda Biu insisted that drivers should refrain from exceeding the posted speed limit because most road users in Nigeria routinely exceed the speed limit, according to collision investigations done over the years. He explained that the driver’s indulgence in a nighttime excursion without observing enough rest during the driving period was the cause of the exhaustion.
According to Biu, these and other considerations made it necessary for the Federal Government to issue the Corps the order to start sensitizing the public and then enforcing the law requiring the installation of speed-limiting devices.
While pleading with violators to stop undermining road traffic norms, he gave the public the assurance that the Corps would scale up strong operational actions to put an end to this threat.
In his closing remarks, he urged the general public to always use the FRSC toll-free line 122 and the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM, both of which are always open and where all drivers can report emergencies at any time.
