BB - Road traffic peculiarities during the festive season; Useful tips _ 15th Dec. 2021

Building Bridges On JayFM 101.9

In the last edition of Building Bridges, we discussed issues surrounding the ember months. We dwelt on peculiar issues of the season with local relevance to the well-being of the general public. Today, we shall further our discussion by focusing on the road traffic peculiarities of the yuletide season. This period (Christmas and new year celebration) is accompanied by increase human activities leading increased vehicular activities and travels as the case maybe. This usually leads to increase in vehicular traffic across various roads and accidents. Various roads in Jos and environs are already witnessing increased vehicular traffic and accidents leading to the loss of lives in some cases. According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2020), “2,080 road crashes occurred in Nigeria within the second quarter (April - June) of the year”. Speed violation accounted for 47% of reported road crashes. This is closely followed by wrongful overtaking accounting for 10% of the crashes. While a total of 855 person lost their lives in road traffic crashes within the period. It is expected that this sad development might further increase as the Christmas season sets in, if not properly checked. This calls for increased awareness for drivers and passengers alike to stay safe and travel safe during the season. Usually, increased traffic and accident are caused by Bad roads, road (un)worthiness of vehicles, drivers’ state of mind / drunk-driving, over speeding, fatigue among drivers, use of Mobile phones while driving, substance abuse among other factors hinging on lack of adherence to common road safety regulations by relevant authorities such as the Federal Road Safety Corpse (FRSC). It is those who drive to remain alive that will ultimately remain alive to celebrate the Christmas and new year. On this note, how do we ensure that drivers are conscious of the dangers of not adhering to road safety regulations this season? How do we curtail cases of reckless driving? What do you need to know as you are plan to embark on that journey for the Christmas and New Year holiday? All these and many more will form the basis of our discussion on this edition of Building Bridges with Route Commander Mr. Peter Yakubu Longsan, Public Enlightenment Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corpse (FRSC), Plateau state sector Command.