ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has shifted the enforcement of compulsory installation of maximum speed limiters by commercial vehicle operators by three months in line with demand by stakeholders.
Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, who disclosed this after a one-day stakeholders’ meeting to review the deadline of June 1 earlier set, said relevant stakeholders had asked for more time to comply with the installation directive.
A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting confirmed that it was a unanimous decision of the stakeholders to commence the implementation of the maximum road speed limiter for commercial vehicles with subtle enforcement with no booking from June 1 and full compliance to commence on September 1.
The change in the date, according to the communique, was due to the appeal by stakeholders on the need for more advocacy campaigns among drivers in the country.
The Corps Marshal, however, disclosed that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) would soon announce ban on importation of vehicles into Nigeria.
According to him, the National Automotive Council (NAC) had already directed all the vehicle manufacturers in Nigeria to ensure the speed limiters were installed in all the vehicles they produced.
Oyeyemi said based on the FRSC statistics, over 50 per cent of road crashes in Nigeria were caused by speeding.
He said: “The rate of crashes and fatalities arising from speeding is alarming and requires drastic measures to tame it.
“Installation of speed limiting devices on vehicles remains one cardinal strategies for curbing the menace of road crashes associated with speeding.
“Transport organisations, fleet operators and vehicles owners are required to install the maximum road speed limiter for vehicles which conform to specifications as contained in the approved standards by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON),” he said.
Credit: Tribune (Nigeria)
