Ore-Ijebu Ode-Sagamu accident preventable if… – FRSC Zonal Commander

The Zone RS2 Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Friday said that the Ore-Ijebu Ode-Sagamu accident that claimed nine lives on Thursday was preventable.
The Zonal Commander, Mr Samuel Obayemi, spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on the reason for the accident.
Obayemi, who condoled the families of the victims, said that the accident would have been averted if the driver and passengers were safety conscious.
According to him, the driver was managing the vehicle and the passengers, who knew about the situation, kept silent without raising objection.
“The idea of managing a vehicle to travel when it is obvious that the vehicle is not roadworthy should be discouraged.
“Passengers should not be passive when they board vehicles. They must be safely driven from departure to their destinations.
“If the passengers had insisted that the vehicle be put right or if had refused to board, I am very positive that the crash will be averted,” Obayemi said.
He said that the corps had been sensitising passengers to caution a driver whenever they noticed anything that could put their lives at risk.
“Passengers should not be allowed to be driven to death. Most of them are passive while on board.
“They must be awake and caution the driver. Road safety is the work of all of us.
“Having paid a commercial driver to move from one place to another, you must be on the lookout on the way the driver is driving and speak out if you notice something,’’ he said.
The zonal commander covering Ogun and Lagos states said that commuters must caution their driver anytime they noticed dangerous overtaking, overloading and speeding on the highways.
He urged passengers to use the free toll lines to report erring and recalcitrant drivers, especially to marshals and officers on the highways.
Obayemi said that the public should take note of the FRSC Emergency Toll Free lines of 122 or 0700CALL as well as the CUGs of Commanding Officers in case of emergencies..
NAN reports that the fuel pump of the commercial bus, heading to Lagos from the East, developed a fault and ignited fire on motion.
Nine persons were burnt to death, while three others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Nineteen persons, made up of 17 adults and two children, were in the bus when the accident occurred.