The Federal Road Safety
Corps (FRSC), Kuje Unit command, has advised drivers of school buses in the area to avoid the use of expired tires to prevent road crashes.
The Unit Commander, Mr Igbogbo Solomon made the call at a public lecture on “Causes of Road Traffic Crashes and Prevention’’ on Saturday in Abuja.
Solomon said the public lecture was aimed at sensitising school bus drivers on the need to adhere strictly to traffic rules, dangers of expired tires and vehicle maintenance.
He said: “the essence of this lecture is to ensure safety on our roads and ensure that school bus drivers adhere strictly to road traffic rules.’’
“Road traffic crashes are not mere occurrences but largely due to human errors. But these can be reduced through conscious effort by drivers to obey traffic rules.
“All we need to do on our highways is to examine our driving attitude to stay clear of any unhealthy practices and to be promoters of road safety advocacy,’’ he said.
He identified human, mechanical and environmental factors to be the three major causes of vehicular crashes on the high ways.
The unit commander assured the participants that the corps would do its best to achieve zero vehicle crashes in the area.
The Chairman of National Association of Private School Owners, Kuje, Mr Michael Oladeji, said the lecture was required to mould the drivers to become more professionals.
“ If the drivers became professionals the lack of adherence to safety rules will become a thing of the past.
“It is essential for the drivers to always keep to these safety rules as only school children make up their passengers.
“These children have no capacity to caution them when they go wrong, that is why they need to be properly orientated,’’ he said.
Oladeji said: “you can be very educated and intelligent, but you cannot know all the techniques in driving, that is the reason why the corps has to sensitise them on safety rules’’.
The chairman appealed to the Federal Government to establish bank of education to enable private school owners to develop the education sector.
He said the sector had suffered a setback, adding that the deficit was already affecting national development negatively.
According to him, the sector requires proper funding in order to reverse the negative trend.
Mr Peter Musa, on behalf of the drivers, expressed delight on step taken by the FRSC to expose them to good driving practices.
“We have resolved to cooperate with the FRSC to ensure strict adherence to traffic rules’’, he said.
He urged the commission and other stakeholders in transport sector to assist in mounting more road signs at strategic points.
The Tide reports that the lecture featured procedures of obtaining driver’s license, validity of number plates and prevention of accidents.