The Federal Road Safety Corps has continued to achieve greater feat as it successfully records 12% reduction in road traffic crashes during the just concluded 2021 Eid-el Kabir Sallah special patrol operations that held nationwide, as a total of 6055 offenders were arrested for committing 7609 offences between 16 to 25 July, 2021 being the period that the operations lasted.

According to Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, a total of 108 road traffic crashes (RTC) were recorded as against a total of 123 in the same period in 2019 representing 12% decrease.

On the operational front, Kazeeem also revealed that due to the need to ensure compliance with established traffic laws, the Corps Marshal had directed Commanding Officers across all formations to mandate patrol operatives to intensify efforts in clamping down on aggressive drivers whose recklessness often contribute to road traffic crashes.

In compliance with that directive, the Corps operatives covered 1575 routes, impounded 3191 vehicles representing 2% increase in impoundment, and apprehended 6055 offenders as against 5529 offenders in 2019 representing 10% increase; for committing 7609 offences as against 6177 offences in the same period in 2019 which represents 23% increase.

Given the reason for the decrease recorded in RTC, Kazeem largely attributed the milestone to several coordinated factors, among which are; the establishment of Station Offices in almost all the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria; intensified public enlightenment and sensitization campaigns held nationwide in collaboration with key stakeholders in the road transportation sector; and effective patrol operations.

Quoting the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, the spokesperson said that the Corps now has a wider coverage due to the establishment of more FRSC Commands, Outposts, road side clinics and Zebra points who now feed in reports from different routes that were hitherto not thoroughly covered.

Oyeyemi also revealed that the comparison made with year 2019 period is due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 which halted conventional operations.