Why 44 motorists died on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway-TRACE

The Transport Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) Ogun State, has revealed that about 44 motorists were killed in the first half of 2016 through accidents along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Addressing journalists, the Unit Commander of TRACE, Mr. Olusola Ojuoro, said the agency was strategizing on reducing to minimum, road crashes and fatalities during the remaining half of the year.

He said: “A total of 91 accident cases occurred during the period under review, 149 persons were injured, comprising 111 males and 38 females.”

According to Ojuoro, TRACE has been able to identify causes of the alarming rate of accidents. He mentioned failed portions, heavy in flow and out flow of trucks, and the poor attitude of some drivers on the road as factors.

He added: “Some crashes on the expressway are avoidable, but we have serious challenges with the increasing failed portions on the road. Some drivers at night are ignorant of these portions. They drive into them. We also have challenge of broken down trucks on the expressway. They cause serious accidents mostly at nights. There’s also the poor attitude of some drivers; these drivers, rather than rest, embark on long journeys, only to fall asleep on the steering. Another major cause of road along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway is over speeding!”

Ojuoro said that TRACE has mapped out enforcement, rescue and driver education programme to checkmate road crashes in the remaining half of the year. He said that henceforth, broken down trucks would be towed immediately and ticketed.

He added: “The drivers who flout traffic rules would be sent to compulsory training in our unit. Those who run against traffic are given evaluation forms for psychiatric trainings.”

He cautioned agencies issuing driving licenses to verify the actual ages of those obtaining such licenses because, many used to falsify their ages.

On rescue programme, Ojuoro said TRACE had been able to save lives of many seriously injured motorists through its emergency response interventions.

Ojuoro charged the government and construction companies handling projects along the road to speed up theirs works because of the current state of the expressway.