The Federal Road Safety Corps on Friday urged commuters to always speak out and report reckless driving on the roads to reduce crashes.

The Corps Marshal, FRSC, Shehu Muhammed, made the appeal in Ore, Ondo State, during the 2024 Ember Month sensitisation and town hall meeting organised by the Ore Unit Command.

The theme of the campaign was “Speak up against dangerous driving: Crashes kill more passengers than drivers.”

Mr Muhammed, represented by the Ondo State Sector Commander, Samuel Ibitoye, said that the stakeholders’ meeting was to align with the ongoing “Ember Months” campaign, which focused on commuters’ rights.

According to him, the corps has digitised its operations in line with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ for economic growth.

He said,”This is the time for all road users to speak out against reckless driving through the instrumentality of the recently launched FRSC Mobile Application. In order to sustain our operations, we need to re-evaluate and adapt new strategies to align with the dynamics of the contemporary transport system.’’

Mr Muhammed appreciated the stakeholders for their contributions toward ensuring a safer motoring environment and charged road users to continue to support and collaborate with FRSC.

Speaking, Mr Ibitoye noted that with efforts by the FRSC to reduce crashes, casualties were recorded on the highways due to reckless driving and other traffic disobedience.

He said commuters and other road users were free to call the FRSC toll-free lines 112 and 122 to report any reckless driving or disobedience to traffic laws.

“Many lives are lost in the process of any error caused by one driver, and that is the more reason commuters have to speak out and report reckless drivers to FRSC,” Mr Ibitoye said.

The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Transport, Olugbenga Omole, also condemned the menace of indiscriminate parking on highways, especially on the Ore-Benin, Ore-Ondo, and Ore-Okitipupa axis.

Mr Omole, represented by Taiwo Adegoroye, Chairman, Odigbo Local Government, said the FRSC must take charge by checkmating indiscriminate parking and loading on the highways.

He said, “We will continue to support FRSC and collaborate with other sister agencies to ensure our highways are safe and loss of lives and property are reduced.’’

The Ore branch chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Morufu Alale, said the union always engaged its members in enlightenments on safe driving.

He urged the state government to construct a standard motor park in the town to reduce indiscriminate parking on highways and repair bad portions on the roads to reduce accidents.

Officials of NURTW, Road Employers Association of Nigeria, FRSC Marshals and Special Marshals, police, Department of State Security, Nigeria Security, and Civil Defence Corps, among others, were present at the meeting.

(NAN)