Gombe: 99 killed as wrongful overtaking accounted for 50% road accidents in 2023, says FRSC

He said 329 auto crashes involving 482 vehicles and 2,143 people were recorded in the state within the period, out of which 864 were unhurt.

News Agency of Nigeria • January 22, 2024

Accident used to illustrate the story(Credit: Okay.ng)

The Gome Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said 99 people were killed and 1,180 injured in auto crashes in the state in 2023.

Felix Theman, the sector commander in the state, disclosed this to journalists on Monday in the Lafiyawo community, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.

He said 329 auto crashes involving 482 vehicles and 2,143 people were recorded in the state within the period, out of which 864 were unhurt.

Comparing the statistics of auto crashes in 2023 with that of 2022, Mr Theman said there was a reduction in the number of persons killed by 10 per cent.

He added that there was also a 9.9 per cent reduction in auto crashes recorded in the state.

Mr Theman said that in 2022, the total number of crashes was 365, involving 1,802 people and 572 vehicles. He stated that 1,074 were wounded and 110 killed, while 618 went home unhurt.

He explained that the crashes were mainly due to wrongful overtaking, which accounted for 50 per cent of possible reasons for the accidents.

The FRSC official listed others as speeding, overloading, tyre bursts, poor visibility at night and fatigue by truck drivers and other inter-state bus drivers.

He said awareness campaigns on safe driving and deployment of surveillance and patrol teams helped reduce the death rate in the ember months.

“For the ember months, between September and December 2023, we recorded 143 crashes which saw the death of 31 persons while 567 were injured.

“In 2022 of the same period, we recorded 127 crashes, 48 deaths and 401 injuries.

“By this statistics, it shows that there was a 12.6 per cent increase in crashes and 35.4 per cent decrease in number of persons killed,” he said.

The sector commander said more efforts would be geared towards ensuring quick response to save more accident victims in the state in 2024.

He said the command reduced deaths from auto crashes in the year under review through collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies in Gombe State.

Mr Theman advised motorists in the state to be more cautious in 2024 and avoid hurrying while on the road.

The sector commander also urged truck and other inter-state bus drivers to always rest well before embarking on another journey.

(NAN)

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