April 12, 2018

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says 456 people died and 3404 others were injured in 826 accidents recorded nationwide in January.

The FRSC stated this in its Road Traffic Crash (RTC) report for January signed by its Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

According to the report, the January accident figure represents a 4-per cent decrease compared with the previous month of December, 2017, in which 864 accidents were recorded.

The numbers of accident-related deaths and injured persons also dropped by 18 per cent and 3 per cents, respectively in January compared with the previous month’s figures of 557 and 3,422, respectively.

Source: FRSC/NAN News Lab

On state basis, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which boasts of the best road network in the country, maintained its lead in the number of accidents with 92 cases.

Kaduna and Nasarawa states followed with 81 and 45 cases, while Bayelsa came last with no accident case in the month under review.

Source: FRSC/NAN News Lab

On the basis of route, the Abuja-Lokoja highway, witnessed the highest number of accidents with 47 cases, Kaduna-Abuja Road, 44 cases; and the Ilesha-Ipetu Ijesa Road in Osun least with five cases.

Speed violation and commercial vehicles remain the highest contributors to road traffic accidents in the country, according to the January report.

Out of 948 identified causes of accidents in the month under review, speed violation accounted for 426 cases, representing 44.9 per cent, followed by tyre burst with 73 cases or 7.7 per cent.

Others were: dangerous driving, 71 cases representing 7.5 per cent;  wrongful overtaking, 64 cases or 6.8 per cent; and brake failure, 39 cases or 4.1 per cent, among others.

Bad road, which is generally believed to be the leading cause of accident on the nation’s highways, is on the ninth position on the chart with 15 cases or 1.6 per cent.

Source: FRSC/NAN News Lab

According to the report, a total of 1,285 vehicles were involved in the January accident cases out of which 757 were commercial, representing 58.9 per cent.

The other vehicle categories involved were: private, 510 cases or 39.7 per cent; government vehicles, 17 cases or 1.3 per cent; and diplomatic vehicles, one case representing 0.1 per cent.