Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said 99 people were killed and 1,180 injured in auto crashes in Gombe in 2023.
Mr Felix Theman, the Sector Commander in the state, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Monday in Lafiyawo community, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
He said 329 auto crashes involving 482 vehicles and 2,143 people were recorded in the state within the period, out of which 864 were unhurt.
Comparing the statistics of auto crashes in 2023 with those of 2022, Theman said there was a reduction in the number of persons killed by 10 per cent.
He added there was also a 9.9 per cent reduction in auto crashes recorded in the state.
He said in 2022, the total crashes were 365, involving 1,802 people and 572 vehicles, with 1,074 wounded and 110 killed while 618 went home unhurt.
He explained that the crashes were mainly due to wrongful overtaking which accounted for 50 per cent of possible reasons for the accidents.
He listed others to include speeding, overloading, tyre bursts, poor visibility at night and fatigue by truck drivers and other inter-state bus drivers.
On the Ember months campaign for 2023, he said that awareness creation on safe driving and deployment of surveillance and patrol teams helped to reduce the death rate during the period.
“For the Ember Months, between September and December 2023, we recorded 143 crashes which saw the death of 31 persons while 567 were injured.
“In 2022 of the same period, we recorded 127 crashes, 48 deaths and 401 injuries.
“By these statistics, it shows that there was a 12.6 percent increase in crashes and 35.4 percent decrease in the number of persons killed,” he said.
The sector commander said more efforts would be geared towards ensuring quick response as a way of saving more accident victims in the state in 2024.
He advised motorists in the state to be more cautious in 2024 and avoid hurrying while on the road.
The sector commander also urged trucks and other inter-state bus drivers to always rest well before embarking on journeys.
He said the command was able to reduce deaths from auto crashes in the year under review through collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies in Gombe State.
Theman said the FRSC had mapped out strategies to enforce compliance with road safety rules and regulations in 2024 by liaising with the Judiciary to strengthen mobile courts which addressed road traffic offences in the state.
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