413 people record dead in Kaduna accidents in 2016

January 03, 2017

An average of one person was killed per
day in road accidents in Kaduna in
2016, according to official figures.
The Federal Road Safety Commission
said on Tuesday that 413 people lost
their lives in 596 accidents in Kaduna
State from January to December 2016.
The accidents,
which average 34 per
month, involved 821 vehicles and 4,616
people.
Francis Udoma, the Sector Commander
of the FRSC in the state, made this
disclosure at a news conference in
Kaduna on Tuesday.
Mr. Udoma also said that 2,448 people
sustained various degrees of injury
during the period under review,
bringing the total number of casualties
to 2, 897, an increase from 2,481
recorded in 2015.
He also recalled that there was an
increase in the number of accidents
from 485 in 2015 to 596 in 2016.
“However, there was a decrease in the
number of deaths from 443 accidents
recorded in 2015 to 413 in 2016 and an
increase in the number of the injured
from 2,038 in 2015 to 2,448 in 2016,” he
said.
Mr. Udoma said speeding remained the
major cause of accidents on Nigerian
highways, saying “speed thrills, but
kills.”
He urged motorists to install speed limit
device so as to guard against untimely
death.
The commander also announced the ban
on the sale of alcohol and other illicit
drugs at motor parks throughout the
state, as part of the strategy to reduce
the rate of accidents in 2017.
He said the ban would be enforced in
collaboration with the Kaduna State
Government, National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria
Union of Road Transport Workers
(NURTW) and other relevant agencies.
“We will equally sensitise drivers in all
motor parks across the state against
drinking of alcohol and or taking any
form of illicit drugs, which contribute to
the increasing number of accidents.
“This becomes necessary, following the
reports that many drivers take all kinds
of illicit drugs before mounting the
drivers’ seat, thereby endangering their
life and that of the passengers,” Mr.
Udoma said.
Mr. Udoma warned that all tricycles and
commercial buses that had not complied
with the prescribed state colour,
registration and number plate would be
impounded as part of the efforts to
restore sanity to the road.
He lauded St. Gerard Hospital, Kaduna,
for receiving accident victims anytime
they were brought to the hospital and
called for more support in 2017.
The commander equally lauded the
media and other relevant stakeholders
for their support throughout the year.
“We have achieved a lot in 2016 but we
can do more in 2017 with your
continued support,” he added.