The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has launched a statewide campaign to curb the dangerous practice of vehicle overloading.

The general manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

He said the seized vehicles reflect the agency’s ongoing effort to improve road safety and ensure everyone obeys traffic rules across the state.

He said that the 27 commercial and private vehicles were seized during an early-morning operation after drivers had been warned several times through public announcements.

“The operation was executed following heightened concerns over the escalating risks posed by overloaded vehicles on major arterial corridors and densely trafficked inner-city routes.

“LASTMA enforcement officers’ field assessment exposed a deeply disconcerting pattern wherein motorists, particularly operators of commercial vehicles, indiscriminately burden their vehicles with assorted goods, stored indiscriminately within luggage compartments and precariously mounted atop vehicle roofs.

“Such unsafe practices grossly obstruct rearward visibility, destabilise vehicular balance and critically impair a driver’s situational awareness of approaching traffic, especially during overtaking, thereby substantially increasing the probability of avoidable road traffic collisions,” he said.

The general manager said that loading vehicles beyond the legal limit is a serious violation of state traffic laws and dangerous for everyone on the road.

He reiterated that the agency will not tolerate any action that puts lives or property at risk, warning that strict checks would continue for those who break traffic rules.

“LASTMA urges all motorists to adhere strictly to stipulated loading capacities, maintain unobstructed visibility at all times and prioritise roadworthiness and safety in their daily operations.

“The agency remains resolute in the execution of its statutory mandate to enforce traffic laws professionally, equitably and without prejudice in furtherance of the Lagos state government’s unwavering commitment to a safe, orderly and efficient transportation system across the state,” he said.

LASTMA asked the public to report overloaded vehicles via its free hotline at 0800-005-27862.

(NAN)