Lagos – The Lagos State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) prosecuted 304 traffic offenders for 412 offences through mobile courts in the last six months.
The Sector Commander, Mr Hyginus Omeje, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the offenders were prosecuted in 18 mobile courts.
“In line with FRSC’s collaboration with the state Ministry of Justice with respect to special mobile courts to try traffic offenders, we prosecuted 304 offenders in the first half of 2016.
`Between January and June, we had 18 mobile courts.
“Top among the offences were tyre and driver’s licence violation; worn out tyres should be avoided,’’ Omeje said.
According to him, 98 drivers were prosecuted for tyre violations, 88 for driver’s licence, 33 for seat-belt, 32 for vehicle licences, and 18 for overloading among other traffic offences.
He said that the affected vehicles are : 78 trucks, 107 commercial buses, 55 private cars, 48 taxi cabs, one motorcycle and 15 tricycles.
He said that the state government had given approval for another 13 magistrates’ courts to be involved in mobile court prosecution of traffic offenders.
The sector commander advised all motorists to desist from patronising substandard and fake tyre dealers.
“There is a need for us to do something drastic in this country to checkmate the proliferation of substandard tyres.
“As long as people continue to patronise the `tokunbo’ or fairly used-tyre dealers, we will not stop having crashes that are related to tyre bursting.
“We need to continue the campaign we are doing right now to save lives and property of innocent Nigerians.
“People need to change their attitudes by stopping to buy substandard tyres and other traffic related offences for their safety and that of other road users,’’ he said.
According to him, the common notion that `tokunbo’ tyres are cheap has cost a lot of people much pains.
He said that substandard tyres were not cheap at all considering the irreparable destruction and losses they bring along.
The FRSC boss also condemned the increasing rate of people driving without valid driver’s licence.
He said that anyone caught with a fake driver’s licence would be fined N10, 000, urging the applicants to avoid patronising touts.
The commander added that the commission had begun the war against overloading and speed. (NAN)