Boboye Oyeyemi: Corps Marshall, FRSC

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN reports that the Sector Commander of the FRSC in Benue, Mr Chidiebere Nkwonta, said on Tuesday that 904 casualties were recorded in 300 road accidents in Benue last year.

Nkwonta told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi that the figures showed improvements, compared to 1,183 casualties from 362 road accidents recorded in 2015.

He said that 799 people were seriously injured while 105 others were killed in auto crashes last year.

“Over speeding, dangerous driving, wrongful over-taking, use of phone, loss of control and route violations are the usual causes of these road crashes.”

Nkwonta noted, however, that over-speeding was the major cause of the deadly crashes.

He cited March as the month with the highest number of crashes last year, while the least number of accidents occurred in November.

“In the month of March, we had 35 crashes, while in November we had 17 crashes.

“The Makurdi Sector Command recorded the highest number of crashes with 154 casualties, while Aliade Unit Command recorded the lowest number of crashes with 10 casualties,’’ he said.

The sector commander disclosed that the commission’s special patrol report from Dec. 15, 2016 to Jan. 9, recorded 13 road traffic crashes.

He said that 35 people were injured and that two persons died, while 60 people and 21 vehicles were involved in the incidents.

Nkwonta also gave the route analysis of crashes as Makurdi-Aliade, four crashes; Makurdi-Lafia eight crashes, while the Makurdi metropolis recorded one crash.

He said that 68 per cent of the command’s set target for 2016 was achieved, blaming scarcity of funds for the inability of the command to achieve more.

The sector commander appealed to motorists to comply with road traffic laws to make their driving experiences safe and smooth.

(NAN)