Arising from the dangers, risks and the rising cases of fatalities occasioned by road traffic crashes recorded at night, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, has warned fleet operators, other commercial drivers and patronisers of night trips, including private vehicle owners, to desist henceforth from it.
He emphasised that night trips which are often characterised by poor visibility, fatigue, sleeping on wheels, excessive speed among others are not only unsafe, but utterly dangerous.
This warning came while reacting to some reports of fatal crashes that were recently recorded at night, which have led to the death of several road users and left others with different degrees of injuries.
The Corps Marshal, while speaking extensively on why night trips should be avoided, lamented that on 8 September 2024 alone, an avoidable fatal crash occurred in Lapai, Niger State where 4 vehicles were caught up in an inferno that killed 37 people on the spot. This crash occurred as a result of a combination of factors, namely: speed violation and fatigue.
Similarly, having maintained that crashes that occur at night are more fatal than the ones that happen in the day time, the Corps Marshal also lamented that while we are yet to recover from the shock of the Lapai crash, another one occurred on Thursday 12 September, 2024, killing 18 people still because of night trips.
The Corps Marshal disclosed that intelligence report reveals that most fleet operators and other vehicle owners, including private vehicle owners who are addicted to night journeys, do so for selfish economic gains, unnecessary overloading of vehicles with animals, passengers and goods to evade arrest by FRSC patrol teams.
He warned that in as much as the Corps does not have the statutory powers to ban night trips, it has become very critical for patronisers of night trips to retrace their steps and plan their journeys in the day time, because often times, when crash occurs away from FRSC rescue points, it is always difficult to access help for motorists at night.
In the same vein, while listing out the dangers associated with night travels, like poor visibility, fatigue, sleeping on wheels, dangerous driving, overloading, speeding among others, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed also warned passengers whose journeys could wait till the next day, to resist any temptation that could lead them into patronising fleet operators at night.
The Corps Marshal warned that these deaths are not only avoidable and preventable but totally unacceptable hence the need for all to take caution.
