…Warns drivers against excessive speed, drunkeness, overloading
The Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) has flagged off the 2023 ember months Safety awareness campaign at Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos
Flagging off the Safety campaign on Tuesday, the Lagos State Sector Commander (FRSC), Mr Babatunde Farinloye urged motorists plying the Lagos airport environment to drive responsibly by avoiding all road traffic threatening infractions that can lead to fatality during the 2023 ember months.
He also encouraged commercial drivers in the airport environment to take good care of their health and give proper attention to the maintenance of their vehicles.
Farinloye who read out the theme of year 2023 ember months safety awareness campaign as: Speed thrills, but kills avoid speed and over loading, said drivers should jettison the myth that crashes must occur during ember months He insisted that road crashes are avoidable when drivers and other road users keep to safety rules on the roads.
He said the flag off campaign in the airport environment was in tandem with the similar one recently held at Oshodi Terminal Two Motor Park because the two locations are very close and very significant terminals to passengers activities during the ember months.
“The flag off of our ember months safety awareness campaign in the Airport axis is in tandem with what the state headquarters did at Oshodi Terminal Two recently.
“As the year runs out, these is every likelihood of surge in human activities in the airport area – people would be travelling, they want to receive their loved ones returning to the country, some have bought née vehicles and want to show off with their newly acquired vehicles. Definitely, movements will increase and the expectations is that there is possibility of increase in road crashes,” he reasoned.
Farinloye who assured that the Corp will not rest on its oars after the sensation programme, promised to continue to consult with people on how to eliminate road crashes and fatalities.
“Though the people around here have been sensitised, it would not end there. The sensitisation would continue. We would be going from one place to another; talking to opinion leaders, religious leaders, sectoral leaders etc on proper use of the road and to ensure the success of the theme for this year’s ember months safety awareness campaign: Speed thrills, But kills. That we should drive responsibly and avoid overloading. Overloading here, could mean avoid loading of passengers with cargoes or human beings with animals. This is because should anything happen during the journey the cargoes can kill the passengers. We are saying, let us avoid drunk, distracted driving – the use of phone and other life threatening infractions that can cause loss of lives and to ensure zero fatality during these ember months, ” he pleaded.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Unit Commander, Murtala Muhammed Airport Unit Command of FRSC, Mrs Jayeola Fatuase reported that though the unit recorded few road crashes within the airport environment in 2022 without recording any fatality. Fatuase however attributed the zero fatality recorded to prompt response of the operatives of the unit to scenes of crashes and the regular talks given to drivers
The unit commander who lamented that despite daily warnings and talks given to commercial drivers in the airport, some of them remain recalcitrant to the use of seat belts and overloading, therefore assured participants at the programme, that the unit will not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions on any motorist arrested for traffic infractions.
She also called on motorists coming to the airport to ensure that they leave their homes earlier to avoid road pressure which may tempt them to overspeed on the road just as she warned against the use of handsets while driving.
Delivering a lecture on the theme of 2023 ember months safety awareness campaign, a Special Marshal and Vice President of Sky Care Canteen Services, Mr Ammonli Mohamad urged drivers to see responsible driving not only as a legal requirement but a moral obligation. Mohamod who delivered a lecture on responsible driving during ember months, told the gathering that roads are the arteries of our society and the way we use the roads reflects our characters as individuals and as a community.
The Sky Care Catering Chief who said the consequence of irresponsible diving goes beyond getting traffic tickets, explained that it is about endangering lives and causing pains and suffering to countess individuals.
The Special Marshal who also added that irresponsible driving leads to family destructions, appealed to motorists and other road users to slow down because speed kills.
Also in his lecture at the programme, another Special Marshal who gave a talk on stress management, advised motorists to always ensure that they are not under any psychological distress before embarking on driving.
The Special Marshal who is a Pharmacist also admonished the drivers to desist from consumption of any psychopathic substance which may get them “high”, saying, that indulging in the consumption of any of such dangerous drugs is a direct invitation to road crashes, perhaps resulting in fatalities.
The event which attracted representatives from every sector of the airport community, gave the Head, Corporate Communications, Skyway Aviation Handling Company SAHCO PLC, Mrs Adetola Vanessa Uansohia the opportunity to cutting the tape for the flag off of year 2023 Ember months safety awareness campaign at the Lagos airport.
