No fewer than 80 persons died in road accidents in Ogun State during the second quarter of 2019, the State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said on Thursday.

The Sector Commander, Clement Oladele, disclosed this during a stakeholders forum organised by the Sango-Ota Unit in Ogun.

According to him, the number of people that died in road crashes increased from 72 in the second quarter of 2018 to 80 in the same period in 2019.

He also said that 196 crashes were recorded in the second quarter of 2019 against 148 crashes in 2018.

“FRSC rescued 505 victims in various crashes that happened in the state in 2019 compared to 481 persons rescued in 2018,’’ he said.

The sector commander said that the development was worrisome because the number of people who died increased by four per cent in 2019.

Oladele attributed most of the crashes to recklessness on the part of the drivers and non-compliance with traffic rules and regulations.

He advised motorists to be cautious and desist from acts that could lead to loss of lives and property on the highways.

Oladele stressed the need for the FRSC to strengthen enforcement on safety, especially in Ifo, Itori, Ewekoro, Sango-Ota and other areas in the state.

He also said that any erring driver caught driving against traffic in areas where construction works were ongoing would be arrested and prosecuted.

“FRSC cannot continue to allow people to die unnecessarily on our roads,” he said.

The Unit Commander at Sango-Ota, Akeem Gainyu, said that the crashes were not caused by spiritual forces, but by human errors.

Gainyu said that over 90 per cent of road crashes were caused by not adherence to traffic rules and regulations as well as human errors.

The unit commander said that drivers were not obeying traffic rules and regulations in spite of the fact that they knew the consequences of such behaviours.

“The motorists should be safety conscious and ensure that their vehicles were in good condition, while speed should be reduced to the lowest level,” he said.

Ganiyu said that safety on the highways should not be left to FRSC alone, but should be a collective responsibility of all which include the passengers and all stakeholders in the transport industry.

He also implored motorists to consider other road users and always plan their journey before embarking on any trip.

 

NAN