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“Between 90 and 95 per cent of the accidents were a result of human error and negligence by the drivers."
About 140 people have lost their lives in six separate road accidents that occured in various state between September 8 through 16, 2024, leaving many families in pains.
In Nigeria state on September 8, 59 passengers and 50 cows died when a petrol tanker had a head-on collision with a truck loaded with travellers and cattle at about 12:30am along the Lapai-Agaie road.
Five people also died in a fatal accident involving a gas tanker and a commercial bus along the Ife-Ibadan Expressway on September 12, in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Also, at least 30 travellers lost their lives after a trailer and a passenger bus heading for Kano and Batsari town in Katsina State, collided along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on September 12.
Tragedy also struck on Warrake Road in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State on the same day, as the campaign convoy of the All Progressives Congress candidate for the September 21 governorship election in the state, Monday Okpebholo, rammed into a Toyota Camry car, killing five occupants.
A total of 40 people died on September 15 in a road crash in Kaduna. The accident occurred when a J5 bus carrying children to celebrate Eid-el-Maulud lost control and collided with an articulated vehicle along Saminaka Road in Lere Local Government Area.
Following the development, the Federal Road Safety Corps said the situation of road accidents were worrisome, expressing commitment to resucing road crahses in the country.
Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed, who convened a meeting with fleet operators and other stakeholders on Thursday to address the incessant accidents, said the corps had already taken measures towards creating a safer monitoring environment.
He also disclosed that a special operation would be conducted to check the frequent accidents recorded across the country.
Also, the President of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, Akintade Abiodun, said the accident was largely due to ‘human error’, saying some drivers did not adhere to road signs and other traffic instructions.
Abiodun called on the government to ban the sale of alcoholic drinks at motor parks.
He said, “Between 90 and 95 per cent of the accidents were a result of human error and negligence by the drivers. Majority of the drivers do not care for road signs and traffic instructions. The government also does not help matters, as there are not enough road signs on our roads.
“We have also asked the government to ban the sale and hawking of alcoholic drinks at every motor park across the federation. The government should also fix our deplorable roads.”
