62 Die in Ogun Road Crash

AT LEAST 62 persons  died  while several others were  injured in various auto crashes  across the state between January and March, the Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) on Sunday made this disclosure.

According to the TRACE Public Relations Officer, Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, who gave this revelation in Abeokuta, the state capital, 173 crashes were recorded in the state during the period, just as he explained that 190 persons sustained injuries in the incidents.

He said  that 27 persons died in  each of the months of   January and  February while  eight persons lost their  lives in March.

“Out of these 62 persons that died in various road crashes, 54 were male while eight were female, ”  Akinbiyi said.

The TRACE mouthpiece observed that  a great  percentage of the accidents were due to usage of cell phones while driving, brake  failure, over speeding, wrongful overtaking and tyre burst.

He, however enjoined motorists to drive cautiously, obey traffic regulations and follow instructions from TRACE patrol teams and other traffic agencies.

The spokesman also  said that the corps had on Sunday commenced its special patrol  throughout the state ahead of the  Eid-el-fitri festival, adding that this would last till June  24.

” The exercise will involve monitoring of all motorists and other road users, inclusive of high and low capacity vehicles.

“ This is to ensure  safety of lives and property on Ogun State traffic corridor, especially at diversion points where road re-construction is  ongoing, ” he said.

He said TRACE Corps Commander  and Chief Executive, Olaseni Ogunyemi, had enjoined motorists  to  be   safety conscious and ensure strict compliance with traffic rules and regulations.