HIGH ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES AT JUNCTIONS: FRSC ADVICES ON REMEDIAL ACTION

Road junctions and crossroads by their very nature are high risk black spots with serious concern for safety. Most accidents involving vehicles at junctions are usually fatal involving lost of lives and property.

Abuja, Nigeria Federal Capital has over the years had its fair share of cases of Road Traffic Accidents at junctions and Cross roads owing to a number of reasons ranging from inadequate road signs to defective road engineering

The occurrence of serious accidents at junctions inside of the Abuja City has become a recurring decimal requiring urgent intervention of the relevant agencies to address the problem towards providing a lasting solution. Only recently, 17 people were feared dead at the Bolingo Hotel junction located along the Olusegun Obasanjo way, Area 10, when a commuter bus carrying many passengers lost control at the junction and crashed into a deep gorge killing all its passengers. Similar cases are not only rampant but disturbing.

In an effort to bring this ugly situation under control, the Federal Road Safety Commission has undertaken to make a submission to the Hon. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and other relevant agencies to provide the necessary infrastructure to prevent the incidences and frequency of accidents at the junctions and cross roads in the Federal capital Territory. Some of the preventive measures advised by the FRSC include (a) the provision speed breakers at selected junctions painted in Zebra Crossing markings, (b) the erection of retro reflective signboards at strategic locations to alert on coming vehicles, (c) the provision of road markings to serve as guide, (d) advising on the maintenance of speed limit regulations in some selected areas within the city especially the high risk areas.

The Federal Road Safety Commission has as part of its statutory function, the responsibility towards carrying out necessary road safety audit, research and provision of relevant advice on same towards making the Nigerian roads safe for reduction in road traffic accidents.