Gov. Ugwuanyi gave the advice while flagging off the 2022 Ember Months Campaign of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), tagged: “2022 Operation Zero Ember Months Special Operation” on Friday in Enugu, .
The three-month operation is themed: “Avoid Speeding, Overloading and Use of Unsafe Tyres to Arrive Alive.”
Dr Peter Omeje, Commissioner for Transport, represented the governor, he urged motorists to take their safety and that of their passengers seriously by ensuring that all the components of their vehicles were in order before hitting the roads.
Omeje also said that the government had been doing its best to ensure free-flow of traffic and reduce road crashes.
We have enacted Enugu State Traffic Law, with 63 traffic offences with their penalties.
Again, to further buttress our commitments to ensuring seamless free-flow of traffic and reduction of road crashes, the state government embarked on construction and maintenance of several roads across the state.
Some are still ongoing in the metropolis, as you may have witnessed, with the construction of a flyover located at the T-Junction, Abakpa Nike, Enugu East Local Government Area, he said.
Furthermore, he commended the FRSC, Enugu State Command, for it’s professionalism in enforcing road traffic rules, its consistency in the organisation of the yearly operation, and timely response to road emergencies and crashes.
Mr Dauda Biu, the acting Corps Marshal of FRSC, was represented by the Zonal Commanding Officer of FRSC, Mr Isaac Ameh.
He said that the corps had made all operational logistics for the success of the operation available.
Biu, however urged all stakeholders on road safety to ensure that they contributed their quota toward ensuring the success of the operation, adding that the mandate was to reduce road crashes and fatalities to below 15 per cent this season.
Road safety is no accident. It takes concerted and collective efforts of every stakeholder to ensure that it happens.
As road safety is a shared responsibility, FRSC calls on all road users to play their own parts in ensuring an accident-free and free-flowing traffic these ember months, he said.
Mr Joseph Toby, FRSC Sector Commander in the state, in his address said that the ‘operation zero’ was meant to reduce and sensitise all road users on the need to ensure proper and safer use of the roads.
The Sector commander also noted that motorists should put it at the back of their minds that “only the living celebrates”.
He said: Thus, while using the roads, we must avoid speeding, overloading and use of unsafe tyres in order to arrive alive.
However, let me reiterate that other traffic infractions: such as lane indiscipline, faulty wipers and lighting system, use of phone while driving, route violation, dangerous driving, non-use of seatbelts and poor vehicle maintenance also contribute to traffic crashes.
Toby commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for reducing traffic nuisance in the state.
He added that the corps was ready to partner government and other sister agencies to fashion out home-grown initiatives to eliminate traffic infractions in the state.