26th April, 2017
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Wednesday said no fewer than 110 deaths were recorded in Edo, Delta and Anambra due to road accidents in the first quarter of 2017.
Mr Kehinde Adeleye, the Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone 5, comprising Edo, Delta and Anambra, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Wednesday.
Adeleye said that 1,334 persons were involved in 170 road accidents within the period under review, with 551 people sustaining varying degrees of injury.
Giving a breakdown of the incidents, the Zonal Commander said that in Edo 30 deaths were recorded from 62 accidents involving 495 people in January
He said that in Delta 61 deaths were recorded in 52 road accidents involving 252 people, while in Anambra 46 deaths were recorded in 66 accidents involving 487 people within the period.
Adeleye explained that compared with the statistics of the last quarter of 2016, the figure was high as 70 deaths, 363 were injured in 142 accidents involving 1,251 people in the zone.
He, however, said the figure was similar to that recorded in the first quarter of 2016 which was 111 deaths from 110 accidents involving 924 persons with 525 injured.
The FRSC Zonal commander attributed road accidents to speed violations, dangerous driving as well as break failure.
Adeleye advised drivers to maintain speed limits, especially with the approaching rainy season and to avoid buying fairly used tyres.
He also appealed to stakeholders to ensure strict compliance and enforcement of Federal Government directives or policies made to ensure safer roads.
The zonal commander commended the NSCDC and the Army for their collaboration with the corps toward ensuring that the correct data on road traffic crashes were obtained from the hinterlands.