The immediate cause of road traffic accidents may be as a result of mechanical factor, carelessness to cheek and maintain the vehicle at appropriate time, and reckless driving.
Road traffic accidents may be fatal resulting in deaths of passengers, drivers, pedestrians or minor when it is not severe to cause hardship to the monitoring public. Automobile accidents occur worldwide but accidents are more in developing countries. Annually, about 1.24 million people die from road crashes. Thus road traffic injuries are the leading causes of death among young people, aged 15 – 29 years. 91 percent of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low – income and middle income countries, even though they have approximately half of world’s automobiles.
In Nigeria, hardly a day passes without road accidents, leading high mortality rates as well as financial losses to both the society and the individual involved. Information on these accidents has been released by the Federal Road Safety Corps and also aired by the media.
Nigeria has the highest number of death per 10,000 automobiles, according to the World Health Organization, WHO. The level of awareness of the causes of automobile accidents is very high among the motoring publics. The Nigerian motoring public needs to appreciate the FRSC for its public education, road user education and the needs to obey rules and regulations of the driving skills. The awareness was also extended churches and mosques, nationwide.
The motoring publics have a sigh of relief whenever they make their destination. The corps also appeals to Nigerians to change their driving attitude mostly as we are in the rainy season. This undoubtedly, calls for defensive driving. FRSC Corps Marshal/Chief Executive, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has unfolded new rescue strategy. He helicopters would assist the 23 ambulance points on some major highways in parts of the country, in attending promptly to road crash victims.
Chidoka disclosed that FRSC has signed an agreement with some petroleum companies for the use of helicopters in few fleet during emergencies. “The FRSC is committed towards reducing the impact of auto accidents on victims,” he said.
Ibrahim Paul Yushau,
FRSC Kafanchan, Kaduna State
