This is the month of October, a month that usually reminds many that the end of the calendar, and in some cases, business year, is fast approaching.
And because the season is usually characterized by massive movement of persons from one part of the country to another, safety concerns are always considered.
Road Safety concern is key because most of the people move by road which is the dominant means of transportation in Nigeria today.
So, there is a need for safety measures to be fully activated by all road stakeholders-the drivers, road safety and security personnel as well as the passengers.
Traditionally, the lead road safety organization in the country, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), usually deploys its men on major roads across the country to ensure compliance with safety rules.
We advise the road safety and security authorities ensure that its men do motorized patrols rather than the usual way of being stationary with little or no knowledge about traffic situations few kilometers away.
However, safety is everybody’s business. The passengers also have key roles to play. They should resist the temptation of always urging drivers to over speed and compromise safety rules.
Passengers should also know that it is improper to throw away wastes or other items from moving vehicles, as this can distract other drivers.
Commuters (passengers and drivers alike) should also endeavour to make use of emergency numbers in calling relevant agencies whenever they observe any issues on the road.
Security agencies also have responsibility of improving their presence on the road in order to check the excesses of men of the underworld.
Drivers are very key in ensuring safe road trips as human factor has been identified as contributing over 80 per cent to Road Traffic Crashes.
They are to ensure that they maintain approved speed limits, maintain their vehicles, avoid overloading of passengers and goods, avoid night journeys, apply extreme caution when it is raining and be ready to yield to other passengers and road users.
With modern technology, drivers should make use of travel advisories in order to avoid congested and dangerous routes before and while on the journey.
Reducing drastically the fatalities on the roads is an endeavour that should not be relegated to the background as all hands must be on deck, even after the Ember months.
