The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has begun a “Special Intervention Patrol” operation to address the high rate of road traffic crashes in the Federal Capital Territory and Niger state.

Speaking during the launch of the operation on Monday in Abuja, the Zonal Commanding officer, Zone RS7, Assistant Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed, said that the rate of road traffic crashes in the zone was alarming.

Mr Mohammed said the special intervention patrol, which would be between February and November, was to ensure crashes were reduced to the barest minimum this year and beyond.

“The occurrence of road traffic crashes with high fatality, recorded along the FCT and Niger states, is worrisome.

“The essence is to inculcate a transformed motorist’s behaviour to develop attitudinal change towards safe motoring culture.

“The Zone commenced the special intervention patrol to address fatality rate in crashes because despite the strategies adopted to stem the tide, RTCs were still increasing,” he said.

He noted that data had shown that the fatality rate stood at 1:3 ratio, meaning that, for every three road traffic accidents, there was one death, and that was unacceptable to the Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi.

“In that vein, we decided to initiate a special intervention patrol, and it is going to be in two folds.

“One is the enforcement patrol, where more than one team will come together to make a squad patrol, and secondly, there will be aggressive public enlightenment and campaign,” he said.

The FRSC official said the zone would also be frowning seriously at some offences like excess speed, which was a speed limit violation, and vehicles without speed limiting devices.

(NAN)