FCT FRSC TO SUBJECT TRAFFIC OFFENDERS TO PSYCHOLOGY EVALUATION

The Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC says it will henceforth subject traffic offenders in the Federal Capital Territory FCT to medical and psychological evaluations.

To this end, the Corps is commencing a Joint Task Force operation with the FCT Transportation Secretariat to ensure strict enforcement of the new initiative aimed at curbing the excesses of motorists, especially commercial drivers, across the six area councils.

At a joint news conference in Abuja, the FCT Sector Commander of FRSC, Corps Commander Tijani Iliyasu, said the enforcement became necessary due to the flagrant disobedience of traffic rules by many motorists, a situation he said dents the image of the country in the international community.

“Regulation 176, Sub-regulation (5) of the amended National Road Traffic Regulations 2012 mandates that persons suspected of committing applicable offences shall undergo medical and psychological evaluation at an approved government hospital prior to prosecution, at their own expense,”

Corps Commander Iliyasu explained that the Joint Task Force would enable other security agencies to participate in the enforcement exercise, stressing that the initiative was introduced after several meetings with transport unions to support efforts at sanitizing roads in the FCT.

The FCT Sector Commander noted that the massive infrastructure development that has opened up more roads has increased the scope of the Corps’ operations, hence the need to collaborate with other government agencies to check the excesses of motorists.

According to him, the initiative is not intended to harass or intimidate members of the public but to promote good driving culture and protect lives and property on the roads.

Also speaking, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, said the current administration fully supports every initiative aimed at restoring sanity to roads in the FCT.

According to him, the enforcement exercise will target illegal parking, route violations, overloading, the operation of illegal motor parks, one-way driving, drunk driving, and other traffic offences.

On the malfunctioning traffic lights at some locations, Mr Elechi said the contractor responsible for their maintenance had been directed to fix the faulty installations.

He stressed that the administration had put adequate measures in place to ensure the free flow of traffic around the Two Hundred Housing Interchange in the Federal Capital Territory.

Also speaking, the representative of the FCT Security Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Elumiji, said necessary actions had been taken to regulate the operations of tricycles and motorcycles in the interest of security across the six area councils.

Dr Elumiji pledged the Control Centre’s support for the initiative, noting that it is intended to ensure the safety of lives and property on FCT roads.

The FCT Sector Commander, Corps Commander Tijani Iliyasu, and the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, expressed confidence that the initiative would help address poor transport practices and ensure that only mentally and physically fit motorists ply roads in the FCT.