The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Dauda Biu, said on Friday in Abuja that 18-seater buses are not suitable and safe for long distance journeys particularly for transportation.
Biu said accidents involving18-seater buses accounted for road traffic crashes rise by 29 per cent in 2022.
“A lot of crashes we have recorded involved 18 seater buses and the crashes also occurred at night. This is devastating and worrisome.
“To this end, great emphasis must be made to discourage the use of 18 seater buses registered under intra state mass transit, for inter-state long journeys.
“A practice that contradicts the use of high capacity luxury buses specifically designed for such purposes,” he told a new conference.
Biu, therefore, advised transporters against using 18-seater buses for long distance journeys.
The Corps Marshal disclosed that traffic related fatalities increased from 291 in 2021 to 381 in 2022, adding that the number of highway crashes during the period was pegged at 626 compared to 544 in 2021.
On the number of fatalities recorded in road crashes, Biu said: “A total of 32,617 persons lost their lives to road crashes in Nigeria from 2016 to 2021 resulting in 65,053 accidents across the country.”
The Corps Marshal said the Corps has mapped out strategies towards curbing road crashes including driver’s education and re-orientation and major campaigns in the states.
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