Corp Marshal, FRSC, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi
Drivers of petrol tankers will henceforth be tested at fuel
loading bays by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps to check their
alcohol level and other related drugs.
This is one of the measures being adopted to check the spate
of accidents involving petrol tankers across the country. About three different cases of accidents were witnessed in
Lagos within one week in which over 100 houses, shops and vehicles were razed,
after scores of persons had been burnt to death when a trailer loaded with
petrol fell in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The Corps Marshal, FRSC, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, who gave this
indication, had thus directed its strict enforcement and other safety standards
on petrol tanker drivers, urging all operators to comply with the provisions of
the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme.
The corps marshal said that the two incidents had thrown the
nation into a mourning mood with enormous economic losses but added that with
the combined efforts of other stakeholders, the wreckages caused as a result of
the crashes were promptly cleared and normalcy returned to the areas.
This decision, he said, was taken at a meeting in Abuja held
with leaders of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers. Oyeyemi said they also promised to collaborate with the FRSC
to establish rest points for the checking of the alcohol level of tanker
drivers.
“The PTD-NUPEND endorses the enforcement of speed limiting devices on vehicles with effect from September 1, 2015. Accordingly, any truck not fitted with speed limiting device will not be allowed to load in any of the depots across the country,” it stated.
The statement added that the pact would involve regular
training of the tanker drivers by the FRSC as well as full administration of
database of all members (drivers) and integrating same into the national motor
database.
Oyeyemi recalled that the FRSC, in its efforts to avert
fatal crashes involving articulated vehicles had launched the RTSSS in 2007,
which made adequate provisions for regular training and retraining of the
tanker drivers as well as maintenance of vehicles by fleet operators.
He stressed that the scheme provided for regular safety
checks by the FRSC and other relevant agencies to ensure that vehicle standards
were carefully observed by fleet operators and drivers.
He expressed, however, concerns, that despite such the
measures, some operators’ activities fell short of the standards, thus
compromising the safety of other road users.
“This attitude must change, henceforth, as we will no longer tolerate disobedience to safety rules and regulations. We will promptly punish anyone that commits offences capable of compromising safety of other road users,” he said.
Oyeyemi, who commiserated with the families of the bereaved
and other victims, promised that necessary measures were being taken to avert
similar disasters in future.
“FRSC is working in concert with all stakeholders to ensure that our roads are made safer for all travellers. We have directed our commands to strictly enforce vehicle safety standards as provided for in the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme on all vehicles operating on the nation’s highways including the tankers,” he said.
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