Roads agency deploys ahead of Easter

 

Abuja - The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has made massive deployments to ensure compliance with traffic rules during the Easter celebrations.

The organisation said this was also part of measures to cope with traffic peculiarities resulting from usual upsurge of vehicular and human traffic in the country.

FRSC has deployed 455 patrol vehicles, 66 Ambulances, 102 motor bikes, 12 tow trucks and more than 34 000 personnel along designated routes ahead of the Christian holiday.

“Part of this nationwide engagement plans include a massive deployment of personnel and logistics along 23 designated critical corridors and black spots such as Sagamu-Ore-Benin, Lokoja-Benin-Auchi, Onitsha-Ihiala-Aba, Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-HawanKibo-Jos,Minna-Birnin-Kebbi-Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua-Zaria,Kabba-Umuoke-Ekiti-Ido-Ilesha, Benin-Warri-Patani-Portharcourt and Makurdi-Oturkpo-Obollo Afor-9th Mile highways and 65 routes, identified for this exercise,” the Corps stated.

The agency said this was in addition to the Corps’24 emergency ambulance response centres located at designated routes  in the FCT, Kaduna, Gombe, Jigawa, Taraba, Niger, Kogi, Ondo, Edo, Osun, Nasarawa, Plateau and Kwara states, which will be complemented by relevant stakeholders such as the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Emergency Management Agency and others.

The Corps has tagged its operational road map for a crash-free 2014 Easter celebration as "Operation Easter 2014."

It is tailored towards reducing road crashes by 15 percent and fatalities by 25 percent before the end of 2014 and is to be flagged- off nationwide for one week from Wednesday.

“This year’s nationwide exercise has become necessary to reduce the spate of road traffic crashes in the country usually attributed to the perennial rise in the violation of traffic rules and regulations especially during festive season,” FRSC stated.

It advised road users to desist from night trips and ensure that vehicles which plied the highways conformed to safety standards.

“Against this backdrop, motorists are hereby warned to ensure strict compliance with all traffic rules and regulations and proper maintenance of vehicles which ply the highways as there will be no waiver for any infractions by motorists. Passengers are equally enjoined to monitor their drivers on reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and other road vices as any form of compromise may lead complacent persons to grave consequences.”