FRSC: 90% of road crashes caused by human factors

L-R: Unit Commander, RS2.14 Lagos Island Command, ACC Philip Ogar; State Coordinator, RS2.1 Lagos Special Marshals, SM(Dr) Olabisi Dennis; Head of traditional Lagos White Cap Chiefs, Chief Lateef Aderibigbe; Head of Council, Lagos Island East LCDA, Mr Johnson Aguri Adekunle, and Officer, Lagos Sector Commander, DCC E.A. Usman, at the 2026 Town Hall meeting of FRSC Special Marshals, units 3, 9 and 34, Lagos Island Command held on Thursday

Michael Olumide Alabi

Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has identified human factors, including speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving, fatigue, non-use of seat belts and other safety violations, as major causes of road crashes in Nigeria.

The Corps also called for stronger community participation in road safety campaigns, stressing that preventing road crashes should not be left to government agencies alone.

The FRSC made the call at the 2026 Town Hall Meeting of Special Marshals Units 03, 09 and 34, Lagos Island Command, held at the Hon. Muftau Aremu Kadiku (KDK) Multipurpose Hall, Lagos Island East LCDA Secretariat, Sura, Lagos.

The meeting, held on Thursday, November 5, 2026, had the theme: “Building a Road Safety Conscious Community Through Collective Responsibility.” It brought together FRSC officials, traditional rulers, local government representatives, Special Marshals, transport operators, market leaders, teachers, students and other stakeholders.

Speaking as guest speaker, the Zonal Head, Policy, Research and Statistics, FRSC, DCC Umaru M. Bamaiyi, said road safety was a collective responsibility, noting that neither the FRSC nor any other government agency could achieve safer roads without the active participation of communities.

Bamaiyi urged residents to regard road safety as their personal responsibility, saying pedestrians must learn how to cross roads safely, motorists must avoid excessive speed, passengers should speak up against dangerous driving, while parents should teach children basic road safety rules from home.

He also urged communities to report dangerous potholes, broken-down vehicles and reckless driving through available communication and technology platforms.

According to him, 90 per cent of road crashes are linked to human factors, including speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving, fatigue, non-use of seat belts and failure by motorcycle riders to use appropriate safety helmets.

Bamaiyi warned that the consequences of road crashes extend beyond the immediate victims, explaining that crashes can kill breadwinners, create widows and orphans and impose additional economic and social burdens on families and government.

He said the FRSC would continue to lead road safety efforts but stressed that communities must actively support the campaign.

Explaining the strategy behind the town hall’s theme, Bamaiyi said the initiative was based on a “ratio ten-to-ten” approach, whereby people who receive road safety information would pass it on to at least 10 others.

> “As you enlighten ten people about safety on our roads, the ten will also tell ten. Gradually, we are going to reach millions of people and collectively build safer roads,” he said.

The Lagos State Special Marshals Coordinator, RS2.1, Dr. Olabisi O. Dennis, urged Special Marshals and other volunteers to take road safety messages to churches, mosques, schools, markets and motor parks.

Dennis said stronger community partnerships were essential to making road safety a way of life among residents.

Representing the Lagos Sector Commander, Corps Commander Hamzat Ganiyu Kehinde, DCC Emmanuel Aribo Usman commended the Special Marshals for organising the town hall meeting.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to safer roads and stressed the need to combine public education with enforcement, noting that motorists should first be adequately educated before sanctions are imposed for deliberate violations.

Also speaking, the Assistant Corps Commander and Unit Commander, RS2.14 Lagos Island, ACC Philip E. Ogar, identified the Third Mainland Bridge as a high-risk area where some motorists tend to overspeed because of the relatively good condition of the road.

Ogar also warned motorists against mixed loading of passengers with goods, including iron rods, livestock, fuel and chemicals, describing the practice as a violation of national road traffic regulations.

He said the Corps would sustain motor park sensitisation, vehicle safety checks, impoundment of overloaded vehicles and mobile court prosecutions.

Ogar further urged Nigerians to use the FRSC toll-free emergency number 122 to report road crashes, broken-down vehicles and reckless driving.

The Council Manager of Lagos Island East LCDA, Mr Johnson-Aguri Adekunle, who represented the Executive Chairman, Hon. Muibi Alade Folawiyo, pledged the council’s continued support for road safety advocacy in the community.

The meeting also featured a road safety playlet by pupils of St. Peter’s Faji Primary School, Lagos Island, who used the presentation to educate participants on the dangers of overloading, including the overloading of electrical sockets and gadgets, which can cause fire outbreaks.

The Head of the Traditional Lagos White Cap Chiefs, Chief Lateef Aderibigbe, represented the Oba of Lagos at the event, while the Iyaloja of Sura, Alhaja Rashidat Adebayo, and other market women also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by SM Oluwatoyin Idowu, who appreciated the participants and wished them safe journeys back to their various destinations.