FRSC Releases Accident Figures For 2016

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has released Annual Road Traffic Crash Report for the 2016 year, and stats states that 9,694 road traffic accidents were officially recorded. 15, 682 vehicles were involved in these accidents, resulting in 5,053 fatalities while 30,105 persons sustained injuries of various degrees in the period under review.

The stats show that there was a decrease in number of crashes by 0.4 per cent and fatalities by 7 per cent when compared to the 9,734 crashes and 5,440 deaths recorded in 2015.

On gender basis, analysis of the 2016 casualty figures showed that 3,970 of the fatalities (79 per cent) were men, while 1,083 (21 per cent) were women. Furthermore, 22,705 males (75 per cent) were injured, while 7,400 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the female category (25 per cent). Also the reports states that 357 children (7 per cent) were killed in the various road traffic accidents recorded in the year under review. 

The report stated that 56.6 per cent of all the vehicles involved in road crashes within the period were commercial, 41.6 per cent were private and 1.7 per cent were government vehicles. Diplomatic vehicles accounted for 0.1 per cent, cars 34 per cent and motorcycles 20 per cent.

On state-by-state basis, the FCT Abuja recorded the highest accidents with 1,373 cases involving 6,965 persons resulting in 253 deaths and injuries to 2,700 persons with Kaduna State following behind with 715 reported cases involving 5,392 persons out of which 505 died and 2,849 others sustained varying degrees of injury. 

Analysis on the basis of route identified the 175 km-long Abuja-Lokoja road as the most crash-prone with a total of 531 crashes, leading to the deaths of 273 persons and injuries to 1,758 others while Lagos-Ibadan road ranked second with 366 cases which claimed 229 lives, leaving 1,396 others injured.

The report stated most of the accidents occurred as a result of speed limit violation.

From these stats released by the FRSC, one can only worry that the good roads that we Nigerians desperately cry for is what is resulting in the deaths of thousands of Nigerians annually. It is so sad.