The Edo Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said that it has deployed 1,265 officers and special marshals across the state to ensure safer roads during the ’ember months.
September, October, November and December — the final four months of the year — usually witness pressures on the road, particularly for the end-of-the-year festivities.
During an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin on Wednesday, the Edo Sector Commander, Mr Henry Benemaisia said that radar guns had also been allocated to the marshals to track and caution speeding drivers, especially along the Benin-Ore and Ekpoma-Auchi highways.
Radar gun is a handheld device used by traffic police to estimate the speed of a passing vehicle.
Benemaisia said that the corps had identified 27 critical points for daily monitoring of traffic during the period.
“All our operatives including special marshals have been deployed to strategic locations across the state.
“Our traffic control units have been strengthened to address high vehicular movement in the ember months.
“Edo is a traffic hub and we have delineated the routes that our men will control traffic, they are about 27 critical points in the state.
“It is important that our men both officers and special marshals man those points to ease travels and reduce traffic gridlock in this period”, the sector commander said.
According to him, there is already massive visibility of the corps, with patrol vehicles on the roads daily to reduce road traffic crashes.
“We are also heightening public education in motor parks and places of worship”, Benemaisia added.
The sector commander, therefore, urged motorists to obey traffic rules and regulations, including ensuring that their vehicles are road worthy, avoiding overloading and speeding.
“We have activated our mobile court and we have been sitting on a weekly basis to prosecute recalcitrant drivers during this period”, he said.
