Commercial drivers with more than one passenger on the front seat, as well as motorcyclists with more than one passenger will henceforth be arrested and prosecuted for violating road traffic law, the Chairman, Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA), Mogaji Akin Fagbemi, has said.
He was addressing reporters on Monday in Ibadan.
Fagbemi said the number of accidents caused by overloading had risen, urging motorists to comply with the State Road Traffic Law (2019) that compelled motorists not to take more than a passenger at the front, while commercial motorcyclists were also to take a passenger with compulsory use of crash helmet.
He added: “Owing to the significant number of motorcycle-related crashes recorded in the state in the last two quarters of the year, it has become imperative and expedient to fully and strictly implement the portion of the State Road Traffic Law 2019, which stipulates that motorists and motorcyclists operating within the state should not carry more than one passenger and must use crash helmet.
“In the best interest of citizens of Oyo State, particularly as the Governor Seyi Makinde administration is committed to the security of lives and property of the people, the governor has directed through OYRTMA that commercial motorists and motorcyclists must adhere to the traffic law on the number of passengers to carry, so as to avoid accident.”
He reiterated the readiness of the government to prosecute violators of the law, to act as a deterrent to others.