The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) says it significantly scaled down the number of road traffic accidents from 28,215 in 1987 to 13,027 in 2021.
Speaking during FRSC’s 34th anniversary award and dinner in Abuja, the Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, said this figure represented a 54 per cent reduction.
Mr Oyeyemi said there was an alarming rate of road traffic crashes as a result of increased vehicular density on the roads prior to the creation of the FRSC in 1988.
He said that the government then had to take adequate measures as Nigeria was considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world to drive a vehicle.
“Today, I am glad road traffic crashes have reduced looking at the percentage reduction from what it used to be years back,” the road safety commission boss said.
Listing some of FRSC’s contributions spanning the continent over the years, Mr Oyeyemi said, “the Corps championed the establishment of the West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO),” and “will continue to support other African countries to achieve their set objectives.”
He noted that some of the achievements of the commission included establishment of volunteerism in road safety administration through its arm of volunteers.
He said that the FRSC also successfully sought for the infusion of Road Safety studies in the curricular of primary and post-primary schools in Nigeria.
Mr Oyeyemi also said the commission had introduced Road Safety Clubs in Primary and Secondary schools, as well as with the National Youth Service Corps.
“These were some of the measures put together to help in achieving crash reduction over the years,” he said.
(NAN)