FRSC Raises Alert Over Children Fatality During Xmas Season

Disturbed by the spate of road crash fatalities involving children between 19th and 28th of December, 2013, the Federal Road Safety Corps has reiterated the need for all motorists to ensure the safety of children in their vehicles even as the Corps intensifies its awareness campaigns and patrol activities towards reversing this trend.

According to the Corps, available statistics on road crashes involving children during this year’s yuletide from 19th to 28th December, 2013, indicate that 20 children were killed and 75 others injured in various road crashes involving 239 children with 144 of them rescued alive by FRSC patrol operatives.

This is coming on the heels of the Corps’ robust public advocacy, massive deployment of human and material resources and intensified patrol activities since 19th December, 2013 which has resulted to a reduction in road crashes and fatalities in the initial 5 days (19-23) of the 2013 yuletide special patrol, tagged “Operation Zero Tolerance” which was flagged off on 19th December 2013 and will end on 12 January 2014, in line with the Corps’ 2013 strategic goals of reducing road crashes by 20% and fatalities by 30%.

Pursuant to this development, the Federal Road Safety Corps has reiterated its warning to parents and other drivers who convey children on their vehicles, to ensure that children are appropriately restrained when travelling in a motor vehicle, adding that children who are under 12 years should be restrained in the rear seats, in line with the provisions of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, because air bags can injure or kill young children travelling in front seats, in the event of a crash.

Emphasizing further, the FRSC stated that “one of the most effective measures to protect occupants from injury in the event of a crash is the fitment and use of seat-belts and child restraints. Restraints save lives and reduce injury severity - all vehicle occupants should be appropriately restrained when travelling in a vehicle”.

A further analysis indicate that seat belt usage reduces the risk of a fatality among front-seat passengers by 40–50% and of rear-seat passengers by between 25–75% while Child restraints reduce deaths among infants by approximately 70% and deaths among small children by between 54% and 80%.

Still on restraining children in the rear seats, the FRSC added that  un-restrained rear seat children passengers pose a serious threat to any restrained person seated directly ahead of them. A belted occupant should be kept in their seat and thus will reduce speed at the same rate as the car, so that the mechanical energy to which the body is exposed will be greatly reduced. Thus the use of child restraints by rear seat children passengers could not only reduce the likelihood and severity of injury to themselves, but also to drivers and other front seat passengers.

Consequently, the Corps has mandated its Commanding Officers to intensify enforcement of traffic rules and regulations bothering on child safety during the 2013 yuletide patrols which is slated to end on 12th January, 2014. Additional steps will be taken by FRSC operatives to conduct routine checks on vehicles conveying children to ensure that such children are properly positioned through restraints.

Jonas Agwu

Corps Commander

Corps Public Education Officer