The Federal Road Safety Corps recorded a 12.8 per cent reduction in road crashes between January and October 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.

FRSC’s corps marshal, Shehu Mohammed, disclosed this in an interview on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Mohammed said that the decrease was a testament to the FRSC’s commitment to improving road safety in Nigeria. He highlighted the corps’ efforts to enhance road safety and reduce the number of crashes on Nigerian roads.

He said FRSC had set an ambitious target to reduce road traffic deaths by five per cent every year, aligning with the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The FRSC boss said that the essence of statistics was to improve,, adding that the Corps’ commitment to enhancing road safety underscored the FRSC’s dedication to protecting Nigerian lives on the roads.

“FRSC’s efforts to reduce road crashes are in line with the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, which aims to reduce road traffic fatalities by 50 per cent by 2030.

“The number of crashes decreased from 8,654 in 2023 to 7,675 in 2024, representing a 12.8 per cent reduction. Also, between January and October 2023, the corps recorded 25,126 injuries and fatalities, while the same period in 2024 saw a decrease to 24,525, representing a 2.5 per cent reduction,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said that FRSC recorded increased deaths within the same period.

He attributed the increase in deaths to mass crashes.

He cited the Jigawa crash which claimed numerous lives, and the Minna crash which claimed 50 lives, saying that FRSC was working to ensure road traffic deaths were reduced to the barest minimum.

“Despite the challenges, I am optimistic about achieving the corps’ target of reducing road traffic deaths by five per cent annually because by 2030, we also want to have achieved a 50 per cent reduction in line with the UN decade of action,” he said.

The corps marshal explained that the FRSC was working to improve its strategies, particularly during the end-of-year patrol, to reduce road crashes.

(NAN)