Despite the N4,000 fine by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on violators, motorists and cyclists in Katsina state are still make phone calls while driving, an investigation has revealed.
According to The Punch, it is common to see motorists violating the law in virtually all major roads in the state capital such as IBB Way, Mani road, Jibia road and Nagogo.
The act has on occasions reportedly led to road accidents at major junctions and roundabouts, especially at GRA, WTC and Kofa Kaoran, all in the state capital.
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The spokesman for the FRSC in the state, Abdullahi Ibrahim, said the commission was doing its best to curb the act.
According to him, the FRSC officials not only patrolled the roads and highways on a daily basis to apprehend errant drivers, the commission has also embarked on various enlightenment /advocacy visits to mosques and churches to sensitize people about the dangers in attending to phone calls while driving.
He said: “The FRSC is aware of the distracted driving, that is attending to calls while driving as you rightly observed and we have been imposing fines of N4,000 on any offender caught.
“We have also been educating those caught on the risks and dangers inherent in engaging in such an act.
“We have also been going to mosques and churches to appeal to people on the dangers inherent in distracted driving.”
The FRSC stated that it was also partnering with telecommunications firms to further sensitise motorists on the dangers of distracted driving.
“Recently, we appealed to the Nigerian Communications Commission to appeal to the service providers to also join in the enlightenment campaigns to curb the trend.
“We shall however not relent as we shall continue to impose fines on the offenders and carry out necessary enlightenment campaigns in the media to discourage people from attending to calls while driving as the act is fraught with so many dangers, including road accidents,” Ibrahim stated.
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NAIJ.com previously reported that che corps marshal of the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed that psychiatric exams would be conducted on traffic offenders nationwide, beginning from July 1.
According to Oyeyemi, the proposed psychiatric exam was supported by the enabling act of the agency.
The corps marshal made his comments at the opening of a training programme for officials of the FRSC on traffic safety for non-motorized transportation that took place in Abuja.
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Source: Naija.ng