By Tony Adibe
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has urged motorists to put vehicles in optimal working condition while driving on the roads this rainy season. The Sector Commander of FRSC Enugu State Command, Corps Commander Joseph Toby, gave the advice on Monday in Enugu while speaking with newsmen.
Toby spoke on the sidelines of the peculiar difficulty the rainy season poses to vehicles and drivers, insisting that conscious effort must be put in place to address the difficulties before any vehicle drives on the road during the rainy season.
Toby said that having a functional brake system and good tyres must be given top priority this season since they deal with the control of the vehicle in situations of emergency stop in a wet road. The visibility of the driver or any other passengers in the vehicle as well as co-drivers in other vehicles must be enhanced through proper and optimal lighting systems and wipers, he said.
“In this season, there is no reason to manage any fault; since managing a simple fault could lead to life threatening disaster. Apart from putting the vehicle in good working condition and optimal condition; there is a need to avoid flooded roads, especially areas that you (the driver) are not quite familiar with.
“Once it is raining and the water is gathering to a flood level; try to look for an upland plain and park the vehicle and temporarily wait for the water to subside for safety sake,” he said. Toby noted that once it is raining and it has rained and the road wet; an experienced driver should slow down and “apply common sense speed on the already wet road”.
“The common-sense speed is needed on a wet road most especially when a driver approaches human traffic built up areas or residential areas of any road,” he said.
The commander said that his Command through its education and enlightenment units had commenced daily early morning “Road Safety Morning Cry” to all parks in Enugu State.
He said: “One of the aims of this campaign is to remind drivers, park managers and transport company owners on the need to keep their vehicles in top working condition this season. This is part of the serious education and enlightenment the Command had embarked on to ensure that there is zero crash in roads within the state and keep Nigerians especially residents of Enugu State alive and safe.”
