The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kaduna State Zonal Command said no less than 4254 persons were involved in 522 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) recorded from 2021 to 2023 during the ember months in the state.
ACM Godwin Omiko, The Zonal Commanding Officer of FRSC in Kaduna, disclosed this during its 2023 zonal ember months sensitisation campaign on Wednesday in Kaduna.
The theme of the year’s campaign is ‘’Speed thrills but kills: Drive responsibly and avoid overloading’’.
Omiko said that during the ember months period in Kaduna State alone in 2021, FRSC recorded 209 RTC cases involving 1645, with 777 injured while 147 persons were killed.
In 2022, he said, they recorded 226 RTC cases involving 1,912, with 828 injured and 160 persons killed.
Omiko added that in 2023 which is fading out, FRSC recorded 87 crashes which involved 697 persons, with 291 injured and 66 persons killed.
In total, the corps recorded 522 cases, involving 4254 persons, 1896 sustained different degrees of injuries while 373 people died in road accidents within the period.
Omiko said that the major causes of the crashes attributed were speeding, overloading, driver fatigue, driving under the influence of drugs and other hard substances.
Speaking earlier, the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr Hadiza Balare, said the event held significant importance in striving to create a safer and more responsible driving culture in Nigeria.
Balarabe, represented by her Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr James Kinyep, added that the campaign’s theme served as a powerful reminder of the dangers associated with reckless driving and overloading vehicles, particularly in the ember months when road traffic tends to increase.
The Ember months are the last four months of the year comprising September, October, November, and December characterised by festive activities.