In preparation for a safe and accident-free Eid-el-Kabir, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced the deployment of over 743 patrol vehicles and 92 ambulances, nationwide.
The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, made this announcement during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
Commencing on June 14, 2024, the Eid-el-Kabir special patrol will feature a comprehensive range of resources. These include 184 administrative vehicles, 23 tow trucks, and 144 motorbikes.
Additionally, the deployment will be supported by reflective jackets, traffic cones, tyre pressure gauges, extricating machines, and digital breathalyzers to enhance operational efficiency.
To ensure swift response and accident management, 23 help areas have been mobilized for prompt obstruction removal and rescue operations. The FRSC has also established 15 traffic control camps dedicated to managing traffic gridlock areas around the clock.
A Situation Room at the national headquarters will monitor activities across the country, collate information, and disseminate it to relevant commands and stakeholders. This effort is complemented by 28 Road Traffic Crash Clinics and 53 Zebra points along major routes, all covered by the 92 ambulances for quick response to accidents and victim rescue.
Mohammed highlighted significant road safety challenges, such as the use of trailers and trucks to convey humans, night trips, driver fatigue, speed violations, driving under the influence, and vehicle overloading.
In response, the FRSC has launched several safety initiatives, including collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association and state judiciary for the timely prosecution of traffic violators through mobile courts.
Efforts to combat driving under the influence have intensified, with adequate breathalyzers deployed to motor parks and highways.
The dangerous practice of trailer drivers conveying humans alongside goods and animals has also been addressed, leading to the formation of an Inter-Agency Joint Task Force that has already arrested 222 trailers carrying 3,169 passengers.
