Road crashes: All commercial drivers must go for re-certification – FRSC boss

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Corps Marshal/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi on Tuesday said all commercial drivers in the country must go for re-certification in a bid to reduce road carnage in the country.

Oyeyemi spoke at a one-day Workshop on “Promoting Road Safety in a Smart City through continuous Driver Education,” organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, in conjunction with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, held in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

According to Oyeyemi, once the driver’s license of any commercial driver expired, he must be made to go for re-certification at a driver’s institute before getting his license renewed.

He lamented that there had been extreme recklessness among commercial drivers in Lagos and many other places, saying that the FRSC had concluded plans to ensure all commercial drivers undergo re-certification to reduce accidents on the road.

The FRSC boss said drivers’ education had been very low among state governments, disclosing that 80 percent of road crashes in the country were caused by human errors, while he also accused the driving schools of compromising standard by issuing certificates to motorists who never went through training.

“It is the collective responsibility that driving schools live up to expectation,” he said, adding that reckless drivers must be taken to the Lagos State Drivers Institute, LASDRI for retraining at a cost to serve as deterrent to others.

Oyeyemi also disclosed that 2018 recorded three percent increase in road crashes across the nation but a 25 percent reduction in fatality rate.

Speaking, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Ladi Lawanson said the workshop was an additional strategic step towards the achievement of the goal of the UN Decade of Action which, in its second pillar of action, recommended aggressive public enlightenment, training and re-training of all categories of road users towards engendering safer roads for all.

Lawanson stated that the government had not only keyed into this goal, but had even surpassed the recommendation, especially with the establishment of the Lagos Traffic Radio.

He said partnership between the state government and the LCCI at the workshop was expected to open up issues as it affected drivers’ skills and ensured that drivers plying various roads operate optimally towards ensuring the safety and well-being of all categories of road users.

President, LCCI, Babatunde Ruwase, lamented that dangerous driving posed serious risk to road users and contributed significantly to road crashes in the State.

Ruwase, who was represented by Mrs Olu Maduka called for continuous training of drivers in order to reduce carnage on Lagos roads.