2nd August, 2021
By Ibironke Ariyo
Nigeria has lost 2,471 people to road crashes in 6 months.
This was confirmed in the data provided by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Monday.
The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO) Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM), Mr. Bisi Kazeem, 5,320 road crashes (Road Traffic Crashes) and 2,471 deaths were recorded in the first half of 2021 nationwide.
Kazeem said that the recorded crashes and deaths occurred between January and June 2021, adding that the corps had not relented in its efforts at reducing carnage on the highways.
He said that the 5,320 RTCs that occurred in the country involved a total of 8,808 vehicles.
He said that 15,882 people sustained various injuries, while 15,398 were rescued from the crashes without injuries.
This, he said, brought to 33,751 the total number of people involved in the RTCs nationwide between January and June.
Kazeem noted that in the period under review available statistics showed that in January alone the FRSC recorded a total of 923 RTCs across the country.
Zone RS1, comprising Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa, according to him, had the highest crashes, with 148.
He said in February a total of 808 RTCs were recorded nationwide with the most crashes, 121, happening in Zone RS2, comprising Lagos and Ogun.
“In March, the corps recorded 959 RTCs with most crashes, 140, also occurring in Zone RS2.
“In April, 955 RTCs occurred nationwide, with Zone RS 4, comprising Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue States recording 128, the highest in any zone.
“In the month of May, we recorded 936 crashes across the country, with a total of 158 occurred in RS 2 Lagos zone.
“In June, a total of 739 RTCs were recorded across the country.
The FRSC spokesman said that the corps also arrested 261,005 offenders nationwide between January and June for committing 281,765 road traffic offences.
He noted that mobile courts, set up by the FRSC, tried thousands of traffic offenders within the first half of the year.
He said convicts were appropriately sanctioned by the courts.