South East breaking News
By Steve Unegbu
APPLY CAREFULNESS AND PATIENCE WHILE DRIVING, ABIA STATE SECTOR COMMANDER OF FRSC TELLS NDI ABIA
The Abia state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Meshach Jatau , has urged drivers and other road users to apply carefulness and patience when driving on the road, said ,patience is very vital to ensure a successful and crash free journey.
The FRSC Abia Boss , who made this disclosure, while interacting with Newsmen at his office in Umuahia, Abia state, pointed out that Most of the crashes witnessed on the road are man- made as a result of impatience and not being careful by most drivers.
Speaking further, he revealed that “there are then certain things we are expected to do which we do not do ,for instance, we drive under influence, it means that people sometimes take drugs, drink alcohol in a bit to stay awake. We try to discourage it “
According to him, ” People do not understand that driving is a serious business, people understand that trading is a serious business, office work is a serious business, banking work is a serious business and because of that they do not drink in the morning before they go for business, Now people think that driving is a jamboree, a social event ,a carnival, a festival and so they drink before they start driving, but if they understand that driving is a serious business, they will wait to arrive at their destination before they enjoy their jamboree, before they start drinking ” he said
He cautioned people against drinking and driving , revealing that once a driver is under influence, his or her judgment is impaired.
His words, ” Once you drink and you get engage in driving ,that is when your senses are charged, your judgement is impaired, you are completely tense up. you find out that because of alcohol in your system, you are so tense up ” added that
what the Federal Road Safety Corps is concerned and discouraged is alcoholism leading to loss of lives and properties.
He disclosed that ,according to the World Health Organization world Disaster Report , that about 1.3 million people die annually due to road crashes and if something is not done by year 2020 ,which is barely one month left, the people dying through road crashes will rise to 1.9 million world wide ,added that ninty percent of them are Africans
He therefore called for wider sensitization on the knowledge of traffic laws among the drivers to enable them understand the consequences of road crashes and the need to avoid them.
He lamented that ,” the sudden death through road crashes is very devastating , Bread winners die, children drop out from school”
He urged Ndi Abia to be patient, be their brothers’ keeper and extend the love and blessings of the season to others ,pointed out that “if we can extend these attitudes onto the roads, we will have crash free period”