The Federal Road safety Corps ( FRSC ) on Wednesday said it had recorded 14 deaths in 34 crashes that occurred on Jos-hawan kibo-forest axis between January and July.
Mr Jonas Agwu, the corps Zonal Commanding Officer in charge of Jos zone, made the disclosure while inaugurating an initiative meant to improve visibility and reduce crashes at hawan-kibo in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau.
The corps had developed an initiative where buckets were filled with sand and reflective tapes pasted on them and positioned at the edge of the highway to improve driverโs visibility at night.
According to Agwu, the incidents happened at night, hence the need to devise a measure that would help drivers to drive safely when it is dark.
โThis intervention is solely meant to improve visibility and reduce crashes that often occur on this part of the road particularly at night.
โData available to us indicates that between January and July, we recorded 34 crashes and lost 14 persons just within the Jos-hawan kibo-forest axis.
โAll these crashes happened when visibility was very poor, hence the need to have these buckets filled with sand and reflective tapes pasted on them to help drivers when driving at night,โ he said.
The zonal commanding officer appealed to drivers to desist from speeding and always move in accordance with the approved speed limit of their vehicles.
Mrs Pat Emeordi, the corps Sector Commander in Plateau, said over 80 per cent crashes that occurred on that portion of the highway happened at night or in the early hours of the day.
She said the initiative was part of the commandโs 2017 โEmber Monthโ campaign geared toward safety on the highways during the festivities.
โMost accidents in this axis take place at nights or in the early hours when the day is still dark.
โThe reflective tapes pasted on this buckets will go a long way in helping our drivers because they illuminate at night and so will aid visibility.
โThis initiative is part of our Ember Month campaign targeted at ensuring zero crashes on the highways,โ Emeordi said.
She said that similar device would be installed on other dangerous spots across various highways in the state.
