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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ondo State, said a total of 53 persons have lost their lives to road crashes that occurred within the first quarter of 2025 in the state.
The FRSC Sector Commander, Dr. Samuel Ibitoye, who disclosed this in Akure, the state capital, during the commemoration of the 8th United Nations Road Safety Week, also said about 244 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the 94 road crashes recorded across the state between January and March.
Ibitoye, who frowned over the alarming figures, said the 2025 first quarter statistics represent a significant rise compared to the same period in 2024 when 33 persons died and 237 were injured in 74 crashes.
While speaking on the theme: “Streets for Life: Make Walking and Cycling Safe”, Ibitoye said that reckless behaviours such as speeding, dangerous overtaking, overloading, fatigue, as well as poor vehicle maintenance and deplorable road conditions were the major causes of the surge in accidents.
Ibitoye said: “Of the 53 persons killed in these crashes, 39 were male adults, 13 were female adults, and one was a female child. This situation is horrendous and worrisome.
“There is urgent need for attitudinal change. Drivers must shun drunk driving, speeding and road rage. Commercial drivers, in particular, are often at the centre of these incidents and must take responsibility for their actions on the road.”
He called on policymakers, engineers, and transport authorities to step up their commitment to road safety, stressing that a multi-sectoral approach was required to reverse the dangerous trend.
While commending Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for efforts aimed at improving road infrastructure and mobility across the state, the FRSC boss appealed to contractors handling road projects to incorporate cycling lanes and pedestrian walkways in future designs.
He said, “This will not only reduce traffic congestion but also encourage healthier lifestyles and help cut carbon emissions by promoting non-motorised transport.”
Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the state, Comrade Adeniyi Oyedapo, and the Deputy Secretary of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, Kareem Tajudeen, lauded the FRSC for its consistent advocacy on safe road use.
They noted that their unions were already carrying out internal sensitisation programmes to educate members on the importance of regular vehicle checks and compliance with road safety protocols.
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