Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has asked drivers to stop blaming road crashes on village people, particularly during the ember months.
He urged them to take responsibility of their vehicles by ensuring they were in good condition before hitting the road to avert crashes.
Soludo spoke on Thursday in Onitsha through Commissioner for Transportation, Patricia Igwebuike while flagging off 2023 Ember Months Safety Campaign of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
He regretted that most road crashes were based on human error and could have be averted if proper care was taken.
He said, “Statistics around the world show that 90% of road crashes are based on human error. This includes intake of substances, not being in right mental state, among others.
“Everyone should be safety conscious. I advise those traveling with public transport to ensure they examine the state of both the driver and the vehicle before boarding.
“Ability to save your lives is in your hands. While government has a lot to do, there are those you can do for yourself. When things are taken care of, chances of naming one old man or woman in your village as responsible will be minimized.”
Soludo further warned young parents to desist from carrying their underaged children on front seats of their vehicles while driving.
He described such acts as dangerous and not a demonstration of love for the child.
“I advise private drivers, especially young parents that insist their children must sit in the front seat of their vehicles to desist from such acts.
“Some fathers, in their ability to show love to their children, go to the extent of carrying them on their laps to drive. This is very dangerous both to you and the baby.
“The best way to show such love to the child is to keep him on the back seat and inside a baby seater. No matter how the child cries, it’s better he cries and be alive than to show such love and regret forever.”
Earlier, FRSC Sector Commander, Adeoye Irelewuyi described the campaign, themed, “Speed thrills but kills, drive responsibly and avoid overloading” as apt and inclusive, saying it would to cover the “3” RTC main causative factors of speeding, overloading and use of unsafe tyres.
He thanked the governor for embarking on fixing roads in nooks and cranny of the state, just as he appreciated Special Marshals and other critical stakeholders in traffic management in ensuring safer road use and better road culture in the state.
“The Sector Command is requesting the cooperation of Ndi Anambra to key into this strategic programme of the Corps in these Ember Months and every other period of the year to reduce rate of fatalities on our roads,” he added.
The event which witnessed cutting of the campaign tape had representatives of Nigeria Police, VIO, ARTMA, FMWH, NAPTIP, NDLEA, NSCDC and other security agencies in attendance.
