Mobile phone usage while driving, arguments with passengers, eating behind the wheel, emotional stress, drug and alcohol influence, speeding, and driver fatigue have collectively led to preventable crashes, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed has said.
The Corps Marshal made this known in a keynote address at the ember month town hall meeting held in Port Harcourt.
The theme of this year meeting, “Take Responsibility for Your Safety: Stop Distracted Driving”, Mohammed said the decision to flag off this year’s Ember Months Campaign in Rivers State was intentional, saying Rivers State represents one of the busiest transportation hubs in Nigeria.
“The choice of Rivers State is even more apt during this festive period when there is a massive influx of travellers, increased commercial activities, and heightened vehicular movements. We believe that our choice of Rivers State as flag-off point for the 2025 Ember Month Campaign will yield the expected result of improved road safety awareness”.
Commenting on road traffic crashes, he said “crash statistics recorded between January and September 2025 nationwide showed a total of 7,715 road traffic crashes occurred, representing a 10.04 percent rise compared to 7,011 crashes which occurred within the same period in 2024.
“Again, 24,674 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries, compared to 22,373 that were injured in 2024. This also reflects a 10.28 percent increase. Also, 3,915 persons were killed in 2025 as against 3,811 that were killed in 2024; indicating an increase by 11.55%”.
Specifically, he revealed that in Rivers state, within the same period, 15 persons were killed and 51 persons injured out of 47 reported cases of road crash. “When compared to 2024 record, these figures represent a 35.7% decrease in fatalities and 37.5% decrease in road crash related injuries. For Rivers State in particular, this reflects an improvement in emergency response and road safety awareness”.
He explained that the Federal Road Safety Corps has strengthened its proactive interventions. “We have advanced our operations and expanded public enlightenment campaigns as well as applied technology into road safety management. For example, the FRSC Mobile App empowers passengers to instantly report reckless driving. It also contains other safety features, however, it is still grossly underutilized. I urge us all to key into this digital reform for enhanced road safety”.
