The recently appointed Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Plateau State, Olajide Mogaji has begun a campaign to raise awareness of the state’s traffic accidents as part of Global Road Safety Week.
The campaign which intensified in Jos on Wednesday and was themed “Streets for Life, Make Walking Safe, Make Cycling Safe”, saw the Sector Commander and other officers distributing flyers to all road users on the streets of Jos, including pedestrians, tricycle riders, and motorcyclists.
The sensitisation campaign, according to Mogaji, who was deployed to Plateau state about two weeks ago, attempts to encourage a culture of road safety awareness and responsible behaviour among road users.
The Sector Commander said, “Today has been earmarked for the state edition of the United States Global Road Safety Week. The project started on Monday, and we will continue with the campaign because May every year is earmarked for this programme. The Global Road Safety Week started in May 2017, and the essence of this campaign is for the public to be aware that the issue of road traffic accidents is a very serious one.
“It is important to note that Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with nearly 1.2 million people killed and as many as 50 million people injured each year. They are the leading killer of young people aged 5-29 years. Globally, more than 1 of every 4 deaths occur among pedestrians and cyclists.
“The 8th UN Global Road Safety Week offers an opportunity to spur action at national and local levels to make walking and cycling safe, by highlighting concrete and specific interventions that can be taken by different stakeholders – governments, international agencies, civil society, businesses and schools.
“These actions will help promote and facilitate a shift to walking and cycling, which are healthier, green, sustainable and economically advantageous modes of transport. This will also contribute directly and indirectly to the attainment of many Sustainable Development Goals.”
The commander made it clear that the campaign targets not just drivers but also other road users such as motorcyclists, pedestrians, and tricycle riders.
He identified several factors contributing to road accidents including overloading, over speeding, wrongful overtaking, dangerous driving, and driving under the influence.
He urged everyone to abide by traffic safety laws and guidelines, which include following road signs and markings.
“We all know the effect of it that when accidents happen, they can claim lives, there may be injuries and there may be loss of properties. Many homes have been devastated because of the issue of accidents. Many breadwinners are no more because of the issue of accidents. For this year, the theme is “street for life. Make walking safe, make cycling safe.
“The target is to make walking very safe on the road. The concentration is not only on drivers, other road users like pedestrians, those riding tricycles, motorcycles and so on. For the programme. Today marks the second day of the process which focuses on a sensitisation rally and that’s why we are here to create awareness regarding dangers on our roads”
The Commander asked everyone to use accessible facilities, such as overhead bridges and zebra crossings, and to be careful what they do on the road.
Additionally, he highlighted the value of paying attention to traffic officers and other road safety officials.
The FRSC Sector Commander assured the public that his team would continue to work towards reducing road crashes to the barest minimum on Plateau State roads.
“And we want the public to know that safety on our roads is very important because when somebody leaves home, they expect that they will return home at the end of the day to be welcomed by their loved ones. And accidents can stop this from happening and that should not be allowed,” the Sector Commander added.
