The Federal Road Safety Corps has issued a cautionary advisory to Nigerian citizens on the practise of night travel and overspeeding, particularly during the ember months.
The FRSC also emphasised that the rise in road traffic accidents around the country is not exclusively limited to the ember months.
According to an interview conducted on Thursday, the spokesperson of the FRSC, Bisi Kazeem, made the following statement.
The months of September to December are commonly referred to as the “ember” months, during which there is typically a noticeable rise in travel activities around the country, resulting in a higher volume of vehicles on the road.
Kazeem observed that while there was an increase in road traffic crashes during the specified time frame, this does not necessarily imply a recurring pattern in the issue.
He said, “Road crashes cannot be said to increase during the ember months.
“Even though in some years, we record a slight increase, that does not suggest that the situation is recurrent.”
The statement attributed RTCs during the ember months to nighttime travel, exhaustion, and excessive speed.
Kazeem stated, “Nevertheless, for those years where crashes were said to be on the rise, our investigation revealed that most of the crashes occur as a result of night trips, fatigue, and excessive speed.
“Night journey often comes with poor visibility and in most cases, the drivers do not observe adequate rest in the day time before embarking on the trips.
“That is why the level of fatigue is on the rise and many would not park to get some rest because of security reasons. They force themselves on wheels and at the slightest distraction involved in road crashes.
“We also realised that poor vehicle maintenance is a contributory factor. So it goes to say that the factors responsible for the crashes are all human-induced.”
