FRSC Blames Tankers For 32% Road Accidents

The Federal Road Safety Commission said last Thursday that tankers and heavy duty vehicles were responsible for more than 32 per cent of road accidents and 22 per cent of deaths in the country in 2011.

This is contained in a statement issued last Thursday in Abuja and signed by Mr Jonas Agwu, the Public Education officer.

To address the problem, the statement said the commission had concluded arrangement to send 40 of its personnel to France for training.

It said that the first batch of 14 officers had already left for France for the programme, and that the second and third batches comprising 13 personnel each, would depart on May 18 and May 25, respectively.

The statement said the training, which is designed under the “Safe-to-Load project’’, would ensure that only road worthy tankers load petroleum products from depots across the country. It said that on their return the beneficiaries would train other officers, “who will in turn train petroleum tanker drivers’’.

The statement said that the training, which is in partnership with Total Nigeria Plc., would hold at the APTH Training school in LE Creusot, France.

“The course is being sponsored by the World Bank under the Safe Corridor Project of the Federal Road Development Programme.’’

It said that arrangements had been concluded to domesticate the APTH training practise in the country, and that the Total training facility in Ibadan would play a major role in achieving the objective.

The statement said that the Kano State government had agreed to set up a truck driving school in partnership with the commission, while the commission is to set up a model driving school in Gwagwalada in the FCT.