Olumide Lawal
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has said that 3,619 rickety vehicles were impounded in the state between January and March this year.
Ambode, who disclosed the statistics during the inauguration of Lagos State Computerized Vehicle Inspection Centre at Ojudu Berger the seizures were part of effort to ensure 35 percent reduction in road accidents.
According to him, between 2013 and 2016, over 416 persons died from road crashes in the state and over 2,498 suffered severe injuries while commuting on Lagos roads.
The Governor lamented that road crashes in the state were traced to human errors, saying, It is an established fact that human error is responsible for 90 percent of accidents while mechanical and environmental factors account for 10 percent.
He said: “To prevent road accident, the State Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), in the first quarter of Year 2017 has impounded 3,619 rickety vehicles which can potentially cause fatalities on the road.”
Ambode who was represented by the Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Anofiu Elegushi, argued that the State Government would ensure that those computerized centres are built in 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA), noting these will be completed in three years’ time.
“It is the responsibilities of the vehicle owners to maintain their vehicles as stated in the Road Traffic Law 2012, section 35 and the Government expect voluntary compliance of the law from the motorists.”
Also speaking, the Managing Director, Lagos Computerised Vehicle Inspection Service (LACVIS), Segun Obayendo said the centre was about safety and ensuring that only roadworthy vehicles were allowed to ply roads in the state.
Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State, Hyginus Omeje said by law, both private and commercial vehicles were supposed to come to the centre to test the integrity of their vehicles.
Omeje, who was represented by Olalekan Morakinyo, said the edifice would go a long way in minimizing road accidents in the Lagos metropolis.
