SHELL SECURES GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP ON ROAD SAFETY

 Further to its sustained contribution towards ensuring safer roads in Nigeria, the Shell Companies in Nigeria has secured the support of a United Nations Road Safety agency, the Global Road Safety Partnership to draw up workable and extensive strategies with the Federal Road Safety Corps towards combating the scourge of road traffic crashes in the country.

Speaking during an interactive session with the FRSC management, the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Road Safety Partnership, Mr. Andrew Pearce stated that the primary goal of the agency is to reduce road traffic injuries and deaths by bringing relevant partners together to ensure proper co-ordination and efficient economic applications to address critical road safety issues such as safety helmet, seat belt, drunk driving, speed violation, road condition, vehicle standards and legislation, using globally recognized best practices.

According to him, this measure “brings the unique talents and energies of each sector to bear on road safety challenges which will achieve an effective alignment of relevant stakeholders towards entrenching an enduring road culture” he said.

Furthermore, he disclosed that the global partnership model has paid off  in Poland where drunk driving-related crashes was reduced by 22 percent while Northern Eastern Thailand witnessed an astronomical in helmet usage, in addition to Russia which recorded an increase of 80 percent in the use of seat belt which to a large extent, reduced obvious economic challenges placed on public health in these countries.

Responding, the FRSC Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Osita Chidoka stated that the Corps has developed parameters for assessing the standards and operational policy of States across the Federation and fleet owners which will be made public as part of measures to elicit improved safety standards. He added that the FRSC will strive towards bringing relevant stakeholders in road safety on the platform of the global road safety partnership in order to build a virile synergy for road traffic administration and safety management

The Global Road Safety Partnership which brings together governments and governmental agencies, private sector and civil society to urgently address road safety issues, especially in low and middle countries where 80 percent of traffic deaths and injuries occur with direct impact on the health sector, is hosted by the secretariat of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva.