Ahead of the commemoration of the 7th United Nations Global Road Safety week, road users have been advised to desist from alcohol, drugs and other illicit substances as they are identified as leading causes of road traffic deaths.
President of The Coalition of Road Safety NGO’s in Nigeria(CORSAN), Prosper Okafor, made the appeal to drivers at a media briefing in Abuja,
Okafor who quoted from the Federal Road Safety Corps official statistics said 32,617 lives were lost between 2016 and 2021 through road crashes despite government efforts to address the menace.
According to the CORSAN President, new statistics generated by the Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC, World Bank and World Health Organization WHO indicated that number of people killed yearly via road crashes was at 41,693 representing 2.82percent of the global total, despite efforts by the government interventionist agencies to address the menace of road crashes.
“I am using this media channel to inform drivers, cyclists and other road users as well as members of the public to desist from abusing alcohol, drugs and other illicit substances, they inhibit human thinking and mental well-being and has been identified as one of the major drivers of road traffic crashes and other dangerous acts on the road,” he posited.
He affirmed that the data of death and injuries due to road crashes could be reduced if road users stop violating FRSC guidelines, adding that the Coalition has designed activities geared towards helping to checkmate the menace in the country.
The United Nations Global Road Safety week is a biannual event that holds from 15th to 21st of May.
The 2023 edition which is the 7th, focuses on sustainable transport, in particular the need to shift to walking, cycling and using public transport.
CORSAN is in partnership with Civil Society on Mental Health and Drug Demand Reduction, as a coalition of over 1,500 NGOs/CSOs spread across Nigeria has been contributing in preventing and reducing road traffic crashes, injuries and avoidable road traffic deaths .
