As
part of the October Road Traffic Crash Report 2016 submitted to the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the FSRC has recommended a
nationwide ban on commercial motorcycles.
Okada riders
The Federal Road Safety Corps has recommended a nationwide ban on
commercial motorcycles popularly known as ‘Okada’ to reduce road
accidents.
The recommendation forms part of the October Road Traffic Crash
Report 2016, submitted by the Corps Marshal, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, to the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The report quotes Oyeyemi as saying that commercial motorcyclist
remained a major cause of fatal road traffic accidents across the
country, hence the need for state governments to consider banning them
from operating.
The RTC statistics for October 2016 shows that 230 cases or 18 per
cent of a total of 1,259 vehicles involved in accidents within the month
were commercial motorcycles.
According to the report, motorcycle accidents ranked third after
cars which accounted for 457 cases or 36 per cent, followed by minibuses
with 243 or 19 per cent of the total.
Oyeyemi said, “Following the outcome of the analysis, it could
be concluded that motorcycle still constitutes serious menace on the
nation’s highways.
“Accordingly, improved results could be achieved in the future,
if more state governments could consider placing a ban on the use of
motorcycle for commercial purposes.
“In view of the above, the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation should facilitate and encourage state governments to ban the
use of motorcycle for commercial purposes."
Commercial motorcycle is currently banned from major routes in some
cities and towns including Abuja and state capitals across the country.
Besides their contributions to road accidents, they have also been
linked to the operations of armed robbers, kidnappers and other
criminals in several parts of the country.
In 2014, the National Council on Transport recommended their ban nationwide “to ensure adequate provision of safe and secure means of transportation in the country’’.
Reports say Anambra and Lagos states had for over two years banned
the use of commercial motorcycle on highways in their territories.
-NAN
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