The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it rescued 1,071 persons from a total of 160 crashes nationwide, with 1,150 people involved compared to 963 people involved in 2017 during the just concluded Easter season.
The Corps revealed that there was a significant increase in the number of people rescued without injury during the 2018 Easter special patrol exercise which was given a wider coverage than previous years, when compared to the same period of Easter celebration in 2017.
The Corps Public Education Officer ,FRSC, Bisi Kazeem, stated that 431 people were rescued without injuries in 2017 Easter special patrol, while 543 were rescued during the 2018 Easter special patrol without injuries, which marks 26% improvement from 2017 record. However, he noted that the number of persons rescued with injuries in road traffic crashes during the 2018 Easter celebration period were 528 compared to 475 in 2017, and this marks an increase by 12%.
In the same vein, he mentioned that from the total number of 160 crashes, 38 were fatal crashes compared to 33 in 2017 which represents 15% increase; 94 were serious crashes compared to 89 in 2017 which represents 5.6% increase; and 28 were minor crashes compared to 25 in 2017 which represents 12% increase.
He added that of the 1,150 persons involved in road traffic crashes during the 2018 Easter celebration period, 247 vehicles were involved compared to 209 in 2017, and 79 persons lost their lives in 2018 compared to 57 in 2017. He gave the breakdown of vehicles involved in road traffic crashes across the nation as follows: 15 tanker/trailers, 42 trucks, 56 buses, 78 cars, 40 motorcycles, 8 Tricycles, 6 pickups, and 2 animals.
In the same vein, the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, Kazeem stated that the Corps now has a wider coverage due to the establishment of more FRSC Commands, Outposts, road side clinics and Zebra points who now feed in reports from different routes that were hitherto not thoroughly covered. He stressed that the increase in number of road crashes, increase in the number of persons involved, and increase in the number of persons killed is due to the reports that emanated from the new FRSC formations.
It will be recalled that Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi had earlier directed that the 2018 Easter special patrol should cover 39 corridors which includes but not limited to Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Birnin Kebbi; Mokwa-Birnin Yero-Zaria; Maiduguri-Biu-Numan-Jalingo-Wukari; Lafia-Langtang-Pankshin-Jos; Abuja-Lokoja-Okene; Lokoja-Auchi-Benin; Onitsha-Njaba-Owerri-Umuahia, Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomosho; and Ibadan-Ogere-Shagamu.
