No fewer than 21,509 people have lost their lives in road accidents across the country over the past four years, according to data from the Federal Road Safety Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that
The NBS reported 6,205 deaths from road accidents in 2021, while the FRSC recorded 6,456 fatalities in 2022.
For 2024, 3,767 deaths were reported in the first nine months, alongside 5,081 lives lost the previous year.
The FRSC spokesperson, Olusegun Ogungbemide, who spoke to our correspondent, attributed the alarming numbers to several factors, including poor adherence to traffic rules by commercial drivers.
“Some commercial drivers do not adhere to rules such as speed limits or vehicle maintenance schedules, due to poor enforcement and lack of awareness,” Ogungbemide said.
He also noted overloading as a significant challenge.
“Despite regulations, overloading is a common problem, contributing to road crashes and making existing measures less effective,” he added.
Ogungbemide underscored the urgent need for stricter enforcement of traffic laws, increased public awareness, and improved road infrastructure to curb the rising toll of road crashes in the country.
A road safety expert, Jide Owatunmise, advised that no one with little or no knowledge of the traffic signs, road markings and road rules should be allowed to drive on the roads.
“There should also be effective and uncompromised consequence management for road traffic violators and those that caused a crash on the roads,” he stated.
