The Federal Road Safety Commission on Tuesday advised motorists to imbibe road safety culture as well as good driving habits during the ember months.

Mr Festus Adetunji, the Commander of the FRSC Omu-Aran Unit Command, gave the advice at the inauguration of the unit’s ember-months campaign in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the months of September, October, November and December are usually regarded as “ember” months in the transportation sector.

The 2018 ember months campaign has as its theme: “Safe Driving Saves Lives.’’

Adetunji said there was no iota of truth in the belief that accidents in the said months were evil or demon-induced.

According to him, carelessness and struggle on the part of people to meet their loved ones as well as more trips on the part of commercial drivers in order to make more profit during the festivities were mainly responsible for the road crashes.

“The ember months period  is one  of festivity  and many people erroneously believe that evil forces on the roads are responsible for road crashes and fatalities whereas  most of the crashes are due to human errors which often times are avoidable,” he said.

Adetunji said the commission had resolved to engage the use of the media and public enlightenment platforms to dispel the erroneous belief.

This measure, he said, was geared toward  proffering the way forward for the reduction of road  crashes and where possible elimination of crashes through its campaigns.

He recalled that 2,805 crashes, 1,602 deaths, 2,0196 persons and 4,503 vehicles were involved in road crashes across the country in the last three months of 2017.

In his remarks, Mr Adesina Funsho, the Divisional Police Officer, Omu-Aran Police Division, urged motorists and commercial motorcyclists to obey traffic rules and regulations at all times.

Also speaking, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, the Olomu of Omu-Aran, urged motorists and other road users to improve their knowledge of road traffic signs and operations during the period of the campaign.

He pledged the support of the traditional institution toward  ensuring a reduction in road crashes in line with the commission’s Zero Tolerance to Road Crashes initiative.

NAN reports that members of the Youth Corps Road Safety Club in Omu-Aran treated the gathering to a drama on the need to be safety conscious.

The highlight of the occasion was the cutting of the tape to flag-off the 2018 Ember-Month campaign by Adeoti. (NAN)

– Nov. 27, 2018 @ 17:35 GMT |