The Ogun State Government has announced a partnership with a traffic and highway management company, Hi-Tech Demographic Consulting Services Limited, to check the excesses of drivers of articulated vehicles and reduce road crashes to the barest minimum.
Announcing the partnership at the weekend during a press briefing in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the synergy between the state government and the company is aimed at reducing accidents resulting from reckless driving and non-adherence to highway rules and regulations by truck drivers.
He explained that Ogun being an industrial corridor and gateway into the country has been subjected to commuting by heavy duty trucks, hence, the need to ensure safer highways for other motorists.
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Akinbiyi said that though there were movement restrictions for articulated vehicles plying through the state, additional efforts need to put in place by the state government to ensure safety of the residents and travelers on the highways.
The TRACE spokesperson, who disclosed that a task force would be put in place by the state government to ensure compliance to the new safer highway measures, added that his agency would embark on education and enlightenment activities to create awareness for the residents and road users in the state.
Earlier in his address, the Chief Operating Officer of Hi-Tech Demographic Consulting Services Limited, Tope Ajewole, noted that the road infrastructures built by the state government are at risk from vehicles carrying excessive or improperly distributed loads on roof racks and carriers, leading to faster road wear and tear.
According to him, implementing a registration and enforcement scheme for roof racks and carriers will ensure that vehicles are operating within safe load limits, protecting the state’s infrastructure from unnecessary damage.
Ajewole said, “The state’s highways is the chaotic and sometimes dangerous behavior of vehicles with roof racks and carriers. Some vehicles exceed acceptable height limits, block visibility, or obstruct traffic flow due to their oversized or unbalanced loads. In extreme cases, these vehicles can become hazards in traffic, causing congestion, collisions, and a general breakdown of order.
“A strict enforcement regime will ensure that all vehicles comply with the relevant traffic laws, including height restrictions, proper load securing, and balance requirements.
“By creating a standardized process for registering and inspecting roof racks and carriers, the state will be able to enforce order on its roads, resulting in smoother traffic flow and reduced incidents of dangerous driving behavior”, he submitted.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the company, Olawale Moruf Bello, said “Rof racks and carriers are additional compartments to vehicles. We want to sensitize the people on dangers of carrying loads that obstruct views of other motorists.
We want to ensure that containers are latched, granites are covered and no vehicle is allowed to carry protruding loads.”
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE