Lagos State government has flagged off its 2019 road safety campaign week aimed at creating safety awareness among road users within and outside the state.
Taiwo Salaam, the permanent secretary in the state ministry of transportation, who briefed State House journalists, at Alausa, Ikeja, Monday, said the bi-annual road safety campaign was necessary to stem the huge human and material resources being lost to avoidable road crashes in the country.
According to Salaam, statistics from the National Bureau Statistics (NBS) shows that about 229,524 road crashes were recorded in the country between 2000 and 2018, about 12,080 annually.
And in about a space of three years- 2016 to 2018, about 73, 504 lives were lost in road accidents in the country.
“This situation has major negative impacts on the socio-economic health of the country hence there is need for a more holistic and strategic plans especially as it concerns safer vehicles and road users in line with the UN Decade of Action. As regards the reduction of road crashes, may I seize this opportunity to urge you to install standardised C-Caution and retro-reflective tapes on your vehicles to aid motorists visibility at night, especially when there is breakdown of vehicles on the road. I would therefore urge Lagosians to be disciplined and patient”, he said.
According to him, the safety week being organised by the Vehicle Service (VIS) of the state government, is in tandem with the objectives of the present administration to make traffic management and transportation one of its cardinal focus.
Salaam, who said the theme of this year’s event is “employing technology to enhance compliance and safety on Lagos roads,” explained that the safety campaign week would among things, educate on new mode of enforcement in the state, importance of pre-registration inspection, establishment of computerised vehicle Inspection service (LACVIS) centres.
Speaking also, Gbolahan Toriola, the state director of Vehicle Inspection Service, urged the public to cooperate with vehicle inspection officials as they would be visiting corporate organisations, schools, motor parks, union secretariats, ministries and departments of government during the safety campaign week to educate on safety measures and tips on vehicle maintenance.
JOSHUA BASSEY
