No fewer than 83 people have been killed in road accidents in the last three months in some parts of the nation.
According to findings by Saturday According, the accidents which occurred between January and March 2024, also left 102 people with various degrees of injuries.
It was gathered that most of the road crashes occurred as a result of high speed and violation of traffic laws by motorists.
For instance, due to speeding and reckless driving, on January 2, six persons lost their lives while 11 sustained injuries in a multiple road crash at Aliko Filling Station on the Kaduna-Zaria expressway.
Also, on January 10, three persons died, and three others were injured in a road accident that occurred on the Enugu-Abakaliki expressway, in Ebonyi State.
Two days after, an 18-seater bus belonging to Katsina State Transport Agency, which was travelling to Abuja from Kankara Local Government Area was involved in a road crash, killing seven people, including two children.
It was gathered that the accident occurred as a result of the ongoing repairs on the Kaduna/Abuja highway.
On January 13, a truck at excessive speed lost control and hit four individuals waiting to board a bus at Toll Gate on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. One of the victims died, while three others sustained injury.
A woman was also killed while another sustained injuries when a truck loaded with gravel and two smaller vehicles crashed along Airport Road, Lugbe Abuja, on Monday, January 15.
In what may be described as a black Sunday, on January 21, a fatal road accident on the Kano-Kaduna expressway claimed 16 lives, and four individuals sustained various degrees of injuries.
Similarly, in the same month, seven people were killed while 14 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in two separate accidents which occurred on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
While five people died in the first accident, which occurred around the Foursquare Gospel Camp in the Ajebo axis of Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, two others lost their lives in the second accident which happened at the old Toll Gate at Ogere in the Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State.
It was gathered that the accident occurred as a result of “tyre burst, speed, and fatigue, which led to the loss of control.”
According to the spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, Florence Okpe, the driver of the Mazda bus fell asleep at the wheel and rammed into the moving truck.
Also, on February 1, multiple accidents involving four vehicles along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway claimed the lives of two passengers, while eight others were injured in the late-night incident around Danco Petrol Station.
On February 20, excessive speed and route violation reportedly caused a head-on collision between a truck and a Mazda bus along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway on the Kere bridge in the Ewekoro, Ogun State, killing nine people, while seven others sustained injuries.
In Osun, a head-on collision involving a private car and commercial DAF truck, which was reportedly caused by road traffic and speeding violations around Prism Steel Mill, Osogbo-Ikotim Road, claimed three lives, while one adult male sustained varying degrees of injuries on February 27.
While that was on, another fatal accident involving two trucks and a bus occurred around NASFAT along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, killing five people. Ten others were critically injured.
On February 29, five people died and four others were injured in an accident that occurred around the Fidiwo Bridge, near Ogunmakin along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The crash was reportedly caused by wrongful overtaking, speeding, and tyre bust, which led to the loss of control.
Similarly, at 7.36 am on Monday, March 4th, 12 people died while 28 others sustained injuries in a fatal road traffic crash that occurred at Tashar Yari village, along the Zaria-Kano expressway.
Again, the cause of the crash was wrongful overtaking, speeding, and overloading.
The front tyres of a Ford vehicle at high speed pulled off causing it to crash into a Nissan car in its front.
The incident, which occurred on March 5, along the Owerri-Ihiala expressway by the Ihiala Local Government Area secretariat, claimed one life, while eight others were injured.
On March 9, a fatal road accident that occurred along the Benin-Ore-Shagamu expressway in the Akinfosile area of Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State claimed the lives of five people.
The bus was said to have swerved off the expressway and somersaulted several times before landing in the bush.
Reacting, the FRSC, Public Education Officer and spokesperson, Oyo State Command, Mayowa Odewo, expressed concern over the increasing rate of violation of traffic rules.
According to him, there are continued efforts by the corps to ensure that motorists comply with the rules while violators are brought to book.
He said, “The rate at which people are going against the rules and regulations is quite higher than before.
“However, the Public Education Department of the FRSC has been doing a lot to ensure we educate the masses at the church, mosque, garages, market, and other relevant public places.
“Causes of road traffic crashes are not limited to speeding and wrongful overtaking. The drivers need to understand that the speed of a vehicle is supposed to commiserate to the braking system.”
On her part, the spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, Florence Okpe, warned that traffic rules violators would be sanctioned by the law.
She said, “Enforcement is ongoing, and whoever is caught violating the traffic rules will face the law. Motorists must ensure to obey the traffic rules and regulations and drive consciously to avoid accidents and the wastage of innocent lives.”
