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I feel highly privileged and honored to address our esteemed invited guests, critical stakeholders in Road Safety and Traffic Management in the state including members of the Press who have been our pillar of support in disseminating Road Safety information towards securing changed behavior and the promotion of traffic safety in the State, to the 2017 ‘EMBER MONTHS’/END OF YEAR SPECIAL PATROL/ROAD SAFETY SENTIZATION/CAMPAIGN FLAG-OFF CEREMONY.
Ladies and gentlemen Road Safety is shared responsibility and everyone is expected to diligently and responsibly play his part to keep alive and safe while using the road. Whereas the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has been charged with responsibility for and to discharge functions relating to:
Making the highways safe for motorists and other road users.
Recommending works and devices designed to eliminate or minimize accidents on the highways and advising the Federal and State Government including the Federal Capital Territory Administrative and relevant governmental agencies in the localities where such works and devices are required and
Educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of discipline on the highways; members of the public that is, Road Users must make effort to promote Road Safety and secure their lives anytime they are on the road. For the benefit of all, Road Users are those that use and share the road with others. We have road users as Pedestrians ( the young, old, the sick, the elderly and the physically challenged and sometimes animals) Bicyclists.
Motorcyclists and Tricyclists
Motorists (drivers of cars, buses, trucks, tankers, trailers, ambulance and agricultural machines).
The theme for the 2017 ‘EMBER MONTHS’ and END OF YEAR Special Patrol is, Right to life on the highways, Not Negotiable. ‘And by this token every road user MUST play his part to secure his life by doing the Right thing on the road and do it rightly. Whereas this flag-off ceremony is to create greater Road User awareness during this period of peak of traffic in the year.,the command in collaboration with other strategic stakeholders will be visiting Motor Parks, Markets, and places of worship and also pay advocacy visits to offices and government departments in sensitizing transport operators, transport Unions and workers, guiding them on the need to be much more cautionary than ever-before because of the inherent dangers on the road during this traffic season especially as we transit from the rainy to the harmattan season with the attendant traffic implications.
In order to make trips pleasurable and devoid of hitches and possible crashes, I here enjoin all road users to plan every trip before commencement to avoid temptation of haste, and consequent impatience and lack of consideration for other road users including vehicular abuse and excessive speed. Speed thrills but it kills! We must work in concert to keep injury and death off the road by supporting the Corps in discouraging driver excesses in going at unsafe, illegal and dangerous speed on the roadways.
Whereas the Corps in responsible partnership with critical stakeholders, after due public sensitization on the notoriety of SPEED as potential killer on the roadways especially in increasing the severity index where crashes occur, issued a communiqué on the implementation of action on enforcement of the installation of speed limiters in commercial vehicles, some road users thought and reacted differently.
The first, second, third and fourth attempts (1st attempt June 1, 2015, Sept 1, 2015, April 1, 2016, Oct 1, 2016) at enforcing the provisions of the law in this regard (Regulation 152(4) of the National Road Traffic Regulations, (NRTR), 2012 as amended, was put forward due to appeals from the motoring public who were actually being focused to be saved from personal excesses and default action in delighting and engaging in the life-threatening reality of SPEED.
The question is, how many more people do we need to expose to the risk of injury and death from speed-induced crashes, whereas the Law, regulation 152 (4) of the NRTR, 2012 as amended provides that, “a person shall not drive a vehicle on any public road which is not fitted with a speed limiter ‘’. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to reflect on this and ACT NOW! As the Law focuses on the motorists, so it focuses on all other categories of road users in the promotion of traffic safety at all times.
THE PEDESTRIAN
A Pedestrian is one who uses his legs to move on the road. He must ensure he walks on the left hand side of the road as vehicles move on the right hand side. This is to enable him act safely in time in reaction to a driver’s default action. In promoting traffic safety and preventing pedestrians from possible harm on the road, the National Road Traffic Regulations at Regulation 173(6) in part provides that,’’… where a pedestrian over-head bridge is provided for pedestrians MUST use such overhead bridge for crossing . Furthermore, Regulation 173 (9), provides that no pedestrian shall cross the road without satisfying himself that the road is sufficiently safe free from oncoming traffic to permit him to cross the road safely, and at sub-Regulation (10) of the same Regulation, it is provided that , ‘No pedestrian on a public road shall conduct himself in such a manner as to or as is likely to constitute a source of danger to himself or other road users on such road; with a penalty for default in sub-regulation (11) of the same regulation as N2000 fine or a term of 3 months imprisonment or to both.
THE CYCLIST/MOTORCYCLIST
This category of road users is operating a two wheeler and is referred to as a VULNERABLE/ EXPOSED road users , because he is not protected as a motorist in a contraption. He is therefore expected to be especially careful.
He must use the helmet, avoid flowing gown, must not carry more than a passenger who must seat astride the motorcycle. Must avoid carrying extended load/object and must ensure due driver’s training and be a holder of a valid driver’s licence category A with the motorcycle/tricycle duly registered. For the bicyclist , he must ensure the bicycle has functional bell, headlamp and reflectors on the pedals.
THE MOTORIST/DRIVER
He is a driver of full-fledged vehicle and therefore must have undergone driver’s training and obtained a valid drivers licence category D for the private driver and ‘E’ for the professional licence. (Reg. 48 of NRTR 2012 as amended N10,000.00 /1yr imprisonment or both). A driver must demonstrate his competence by ensuring he conducts vehicle parade/safety check before coming on to the highway. This should be a daily routine. A driver must also ensure that he understand the workings/mechanism of the vehicle he is to operate and in addition ensure the following; Fasten seatbelt and ensure all passengers do same (Reg. 126 N2000/6 months imprisonment or both for default.
Avoid overloading the vehicle with passenger/goods (Reg. 117, 188 of NRTR 2012 and Section 26(1) of the FRSC Establishment Act 2007 N10,000 or 6 months imprisonment or both. Avoid permitting an unauthorized/unlawful person to drive (Reg. 72 of NRTR 2012) N10,000 or 1 year imprisonment.
Must not use Mobile Phone while driving (Reg. 166, N4000 or 6 months imprisonment)
Must not combine drinking with driving or driving under influence of alcohol or drugs (Reg. 174, N5000/ 1 year imprisonment or both). Must not drive in such a manner (recklessly) without regards to public safety – Dangerous Driving (Reg. 167, N50,000 or 2years imprisonment or both). Must not drive in excess of recommended speed limiter for his kind of vehicle and category of road he is driving on at a point in time (Reg. 152 N3000 or 3months imprisonment or both)
THE PASSENGER
The passenger as a road user must ensure the following to secure his safety in transit: Plan every trip and commence journey early. Driver must check tyres before commencement of any journey and avoid use of expired or Tokunbo tyres. He is also to avoid under or over-inflation of tyres as these increase wear and hazardous during the trip. Driver should avoid inflating tyre when it is hot. Inspect vehicle to be used for the trip (if personal vehicle) then conduct pre-trip vehicle safety check, if public transportation, look for tell-tale signs – Is the vehicle on the stand washed/cleaned-up? Are the tyres visibly good? As the vehicle is ready for departure. Is the driver steady or staggering? Report all observed lapses to the park operator when not satisfied with any of these.
Do not enter a vehicle that is already fully loaded and constitute OVERLOADING, – Regulation 188(1) of the NRTR, 2012 as amended, provides that, ‘any person who boards a vehicle in excess of the allowable or permitted sitting capacity of that vehicle shall be made to alight from the vehicle and the driver shall be liable to pay the prescribed fine for overloading under these Regulations.’ Do not carry any load other than hand luggage, else use bigger/larger vehicle – luxury bus, for instance. Caution your driver when acting in contravention of traffic regulations or going at excessive speed, making calls while driving, smoking while driving. Report to the nearest Police officer/FRSC or other uniform personnel unwholesome/unsafe acts by your driver at their check points.
Avoid travelling at night because of the known hazards/dangers.
Members of the congregation and road users, we must act wisely to stay alive while using the road as any failure or irresponsible action could lead to a preventable crash and the attendant consequences in injuries and possible death. Preventive action, it is said. Is safer, cheaper and faster than the penalty for neglect.
We must remember this!
Installation/enforcement of motorists’ compliance on the installation of speed limiter in commercial vehicles is one critical measure which some commercial drivers fleet operators are finding it difficult to comply with whereas the device helps to curtail driver excesses in indulging in/going above regulation speed, and it brings the maximum speed achievable by the vehicle/driver in line with the calibrated maximum speed.
Speed has been fingered as the most critical factor amongst the causative factors of traffic crashes. Reg 152 (4) provides that; a person shall not drive a vehicle on any public road which is not fitted with a speed limiter (Reg 152 (5) prescribes N3000/3months imprisonment or both. As we draw closer to the end of the year 2017, we must not forget to remember that only the living celebrates, fulfill dreams and ambitions. We must therefore keep our hopes, dreams alive by acting wisely at all times when we are using the road.
As a reminder, the rains are still very much here with us. The roads are slippery at the onset, of rain, therefore riders/drivers must learn to reduce speed. Visibility is poor at night and in hazy weather, it is therefore wise counsel to keep your speed in check/under control. Road Users must avoid travelling at night by all means because of the dangers inherent in this practice.
Join the Federal Road Safety Corps, Akwa Ibom Sector Command in the promotion of traffic safety on all roads across the State, ensuring fuller lives thereby.
BEING A TEXT OF A PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT MESSAGE DELIVERED BY CC SE OGHENEKARO SECTOR COMMANDER FRSC AKWA IBOM SECTOR COMMAND AT THE FLAG-OFF CEREMONY OF THE 2017 EMBER MONTHS/END OF YEAR ROAD SAFETY SENSITIZATION/CAMPAIGN WITH THE THEME “THE RIGHT TO LIFE ON THE HIGHWAY NOT NEGOTIABLE”, HELD THUR, 26 OCT, 2017 AT THE SECTOR COMMAND, UYO.
