The
campaign by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for the use of speed limiting
device in vehicles operating in the country got a boost as the Corps Marshal of
the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi commissions 300 factory fitted Hummer Buses with the
devices into the fleet of the Peace Mass Transport (PMT) Limited. Speaking at
the event held at the PMT Corporate Headquarters at Enugu, Oyeyemi restated the
commitment of the FRSC to pursuit of road safety policies and programmes,
saying the Corps will continue to partner and support transport companies that
show commitment to issues of road safety.
According
to the Corps Marshal, PMT has continued to demonstrate its commitment to issues
of road safety as evidenced by its road safety policies including regular
training and retraining of its drivers, pioneering the use of speed limiters in
the country and maintenance culture as well as zero tolerance for overloading.
All these, the Corps Marshal said, make the transport company the preferred
choice among the commuters. “I am here today to demonstrate the support and
solidarity of the FRSC to the safety policies of Peace Mass Transport Limited,
which align with our safer roads, fuller lives campaigns,” he stated.
“Seven
years ago, when the company started installing speed limiters in its vehicles,
no other transport company in the country gave it a chance of success. It is
however gratifying to note that the experiment has today become a success
story, as the company has grown from being tagged, “Go slow,” to becoming the
preferred choice of safety conscious travellers,” the Corps Marshal further
stated.
Oyeyemi
noted that PMT is a living example of the benefits of speed limiters in
vehicles, as the company drastically reduced the rate of crashes involving its
fleet of vehicles to 50 percent upon introducing the devices, while the fuel
economy that go with the measure remains a source of motivation that would
sustain the policy. He further stressed that as a nation that relies on road
transport for almost 90 percent of its movements, the need for safety measures
in Nigeria to make movements of people and goods safe and convenient cannot be
over-emphasised.
The
Corps Marshal added that the FRSC will remain committed to pursuing programmes
that promote safety, noting that the decision by the Company to choose lives
over financial gains through its adoption of safety measures is a commendable
effort. He urged other transport companies to emulate the example, but further
advised the Company to consider establishing its own driving school in order to
increase the capacity of its drivers for more safety oriented operations.
The
FRSC Boss further disclosed that the FRSC is presently engaged in promoting
public awareness on such safety measures as use of seatbelt by front and rear
seat passengers as well as appropriate use of tyres, calling on all
stakeholders to join the Corps in the campaigns. “In our continuing
determination to create public awareness on issues of road safety, especially
with the increasing rate of tyre-related crashes occurring in the country, we
are convening stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja next month,” he stated.
“We
hope to use the platform to enlighten members of the public on proper use of
tyres and the fact that tyres, like drugs do expire; whether or not they are
used,” Oyeyemi further stated.
In
his remarks, the Chairman of Peace Mass Transport Limited, Samuel Maduka
Onyishi, thanked the Corps Marshal for personally coming down to commission the
factory fitted buses with speed limiters, saying the action demonstrates the
passion which the FRSC Boss has for issues of road safety.
While
assuring the people that his company will continue to observe road safety
measures in its policies, Mr Onyishi stated that his association with the FRSC
has been a long standing one, from which his company has benefitted immensely.
According to him, the willingness of his Management to hearken to the safety
advices of the FRSC has not only saved his Company from fatal crashes, but
boosted its financial profile with prospects for future growth.
He
further disclosed that he chose safety over making quick money when he
commenced the process of installing speed limiting devices in his vehicles
seven years ago, because he believed the action would be more profiting at the
end. Mr Onyishi noted that though his Company experienced some hurdles when he
initially came up with the idea, he is grateful that the foresight has paid off
handsomely now, as his Company has become the preferred choice among the
commuters, stating that commuters are motivated to patronise his buses because
of the assurances that the drivers drive safely and they would reach their destinations
in safety.
Highlight
of the event was the facility tour of the Company by the Corps Marshal during
which he was taken round all the segments of the Company’s manufacturing and
service areas which support its comprehensive road safety policy.
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