Road Crashes: TRACE Cautions NURTW Against Indiscriminate Parking

The Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps in Ogun State has warned the National Union of Road Transport Workers against indiscriminate parking of vehicles around the Toll Gate, along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The Sango-Ota Area Commander of TRACE, Adekunle Ajibade, gave the warning on Friday, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

This followed an accident involving two vehicles and two motorcycles, which led to the death of two persons, with another sustaining serious injury.

The PUNCH reported that a trailer with registration No. T-4223 LA, had a head-on collision with a Volkswagen and two motorcycles, killing two persons, while one other sustained an injury on Abeokuta-Lagos Expressway at about 5.10 am.

Ajibade said the warning became necessary to NURTW members as this practice sometimes resulted in traffic gridlocks and unnecessary loss of lives on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

He noted that most members of the NURTW engaged motorists, who park their vehicles indiscriminately without observing safety measures.

He insisted that such practice should be discouraged at the Toll-Gate area, to reduce mishaps during and after the ember months.

The Trace commander said the accident could have been averted if the driver of the trailer had not engaged in wrongful overtaking and had observed the speed limit.

“We are appealing to motorists to drive carefully and ensure proper maintenance of their vehicles to reduce road crashes, especially at the Toll-Gate area on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

“In addition, motorists should refrain from reckless driving and reduce their speed to the barest minimum to stem mishaps during the ember months,” he said.

The TRACE commander said a task force and other security agencies were working assiduously to remove those trading on the road, and that they had been warned several times to desist from such practice.

He noted that TRACE would continue to collaborate with other sister agencies to ensure the safety of lives around the area.

NAN