Borno State topped 2016 road traffic road accident death index with 15 deaths in every 10 cases, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
This, the agency said in its 2016 Annual Road Traffic Crash Report, was 300 per cent above the national average of five deaths in every 10 crashes recorded within the period.
Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, attributed the increase in the number and severity of crashes in Borno in 2016 to increase in motorisation in the state.
“This indicates an improvement in economic activities within the state that was hitherto destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents,’’ he said in a cover letter accompanying the report.
The report showed that the 2016 national average represents a 16.7 per cent reduction in the six deaths per 10 crashes recorded nationwide in 2015.
According to the report, Borno is followed by Yobe with 11 deaths per 10 crashes, while Delta and Oyo ranked third with 10 deaths each.
Gombe and Ondo recorded nine each; Kogi and Jigawa witnessed eight, and the FCT and Bayelsa recorded the least severity index with two deaths per 10 crashes.
Meanwhile, 9,694 road traffic accidents involving 15, 682 vehicles were recorded in 2016, resulting in the death of 5,053 persons, while 30,105 others sustained various degrees of injuries in the period under review.
This represents a decrease in number of crashes by 0.4 per cent and fatalities by 7 per cent compared to the 9,734 crashes and 5,440 deaths recorded in 2015.
Oyeyemi attributed the decrease to “concerted efforts by the FRSC and massive logistics support from the Federal Government’’.
He noted that the highest fatality rate was recorded between December and March, indicating the “routine impact of festive periods on road safety and traffic density in the country’’.
Analysis of the 2016 casualty figures on gender basis showed that 79 per cent or 3,970 of the dead were men, while 1,083 representing 21 per cent were women.
Furthermore, 22,705 males constituting 75 per cent were injured, while 7,400 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the female category, which accounted for 25 per cent.
According to the report, 357 children representing 7 per cent were killed in the various road traffic accidents recorded in the year under review.
It said 56.6 per cent of all the vehicles involved in road crashes within the period were commercial, 41.6 per cent private and 1.7 per cent government vehicles.
Diplomatic vehicles accounted for 0.1 per cent, cars 34 per cent and motorcycles 20 per cent, the report said.
The report said most of the accidents occurred as a result of speed limit violation.
It said that speed limit violation accounted for 34 per cent of the crashes, while loss of control and dangerous driving accounted for 15 and 9 per cent.
On state-by-state basis, the FCT recorded the highest accidents with 1,373 cases involving 6,965 persons resulting in 253 deaths and injuries to 2,700 persons.
“Kaduna State was next with 715 reported cases involving 5,392 persons out of which 505 died and 2,849 others sustained varying degrees of injury.