Amidst the lingering scarcity of fuel nationwide, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has begun special operations against the bearing of extra petroleum and other inflammable substances in passenger vehicles.
A statement signed by the Public Education Officer FRSC, Olusegun Ogungbemide, on Friday, said the directive from the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Marshal Shehu Mohammed, commenced immediately.
The directives will see massive deployment of patrol operatives on the nation’s highways to conduct search and identify vehicles carrying these products; emptying the content into the vehicle when sighted and conducting awareness campaigns on drivers and passengers about the dangers of carrying petroleum products in vehicles.
However, he also directed that unlike the conventional operations, in the course of this intervention patrol, drivers could be prosecuted for compromising the safety of their passengers.
He narrated that no excuse is acceptable for such a dastardly act.
According to FRSC, this is targeted at mitigating fire related road traffic crashes.
The statement in parts reads, “It is to be a civil engagement that targets at ensuring that those products when sighted, are emptied into the fuel tank of the vehicles.
“You would recall that pursuant to a number of fire related road crashes that occurred on the nation’s highways in recent times, the Corps Marshal had ordered a thorough investigation with a view to unravel the main cause of the inferno.
“The investigation report revealed that drivers often carry petroleum products while on transit. As such, in the event of a crash, the impact often results in flames leading to heart wrecking fatalities that would have been avoided.
“In order to bring this to a halt, the Corps Marshal has also directed the Public Education Officers nationwide to complement the intervention patrol with aggressive sensitisation of road users.”
He urged passengers to ensure that they took their safety in their own hands by reporting to FRSC patrol teams or through emergency lines whenever they suspected the vehicle they boarded had inflammable substances in them.
