The Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, stated this at a stakeholders’ meeting on ‘development and implementation of policy on pre-fitted speed limiting devices on locally assembled and imported vehicles in Nigeria’ on Tuesday.
Biu noted that the 173,573 vehicles with installed speed limiters since the implementation of the speed limiter policy in 2016 was not acceptable when compared to the number of vehicles in the country.
He said that speed produces road traffic injuries and death, lamenting that the 173,573 vehicles with installed speed limiters since the implementation of the speed limiter policy in 2016 was not acceptable when compared to the number of vehicles in the country.
The Corps Marshal said “As of today, information available on the Speed limiter web monitoring portal indicates that only a total of 173,573 vehicles have been installed with speed limiters as of April 30, 2023, since the commencement of implementation.
“As a result, a large number of registered commercial vehicles in Nigeria are yet to comply, this is unacceptable; hence the urgent need for this very policy.
“We took that bold step to nip this menace in the bud because, from January to March 2023 alone, a total of 2733 crashes occurred on Nigerian roads. Out of these crashes, a total of 8339 people were injured while 1441 victims were killed, just in three months.
“This is unacceptable because most of these crashes were utterly avoidable. The most worrisome part of the analysis of the data is the painful realisation of the fact that over 89 per cent of the crashes within the period were speed induced.”
Biu added, “This forum is, therefore, a call to service, a call for all of us to come together as one and fight this monster by committing to the objective of this gathering which bothers solely on fast-tracking the implementation of pre-fitted speed limiting devices on locally assembled and imported vehicles in Nigeria.”
In his keynote address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said between 2019 and 2021, road crashes will be reduced as a result of speed limiters installed in vehicles.
Mustapha, represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Service, OSGF, Nnamdi Mbaeri, stated “The downward trend in the rate of speed-related crashes in the year 2019 and 2021 were as a result of compliance in speed limiter installation and improved enforcement strategy in accordance with the Goal 1 of the FRSC Corporate Strategic Goals.
“It is on this premise that the Federal Government has decided to convene this key stakeholders meeting to brainstorm on the policy for pre-fitted speed limiters in road vehicles as a panacea to mitigate the upward trend of reckless crashes caused by speeding on Nigeria roads. It is therefore expected that all of us here will contribute effectively and efficiently to this national demand so as to have a very positive outcome at the end of this meeting.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of, the Federal Road Safety Commission, Bukhari Bello, said “From statistical analysis of the number of crashes and their causes, as revealed by the Federal Road Safety Corps, it is evident that excessive speed is the most prevalent cause of crash and account for over 80% of crashes in Nigeria.”
“That is why this forum is considered not only important but necessary and highly timely so as to harness our wealth of experience towards aligning with this policy on the development and implementation of policy on pre-fitted speed limiting devices in vehicles both assembled in Nigeria and those imported.”
