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The Bayelsa Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Monday said it recorded  a drop of about 80 per cent in number of road accidents in the state in 2019.

The Sector Commander, Mr Ikechukwu Igwe, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa. According to Igwe, “we recorded 59 accidents in 2018, while 16 were recorded in 2019 with eight fatalities.” “The total number of injured persons in 2019 is 49, which was far less than the 2018, when we have series of injuries in every month. In fact, we had about 25 injuries in one month, especially in June, 2018. So, there was a drastic reduction of 80 per cent in road traffic crashes in the state in 2019. “We attribute the good result to the corps’ aggressive public enlightenment and enforcement. We have a lot of programmes in the year to ensure that the drivers abide by the rules using the road. Our regular medical outreach for drivers in the state made great impact. During the year, we carried out an eye check up on drivers and we also checked them on High Blood Pressure as well as their sugar level to know their health status. Igwe said that those found unhealthy to be on the road were sent to specialist hospitals for further investigation and treatment. “From Dec. 15, 2019 to Jan. 14 we recorded one traffic crash involving two vehicles, but no death was recorded. The accident was a serious one with seven persons, but only four got injured. He commended the monthly mobile court activities, expressing optimism that the year 2020 would be much better. He promised the people of Bayelsa that the corps would work harder for safety of motorists. To all stakeholders, let us continue to cooperate and make the state accident-free. Always obey the traffic orders. Ensure that your vehicle is in order before putting it on the road. (NAN)