Federal Road Safety Corps - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Federal Road Safety Corps is the government agency

Government agency

A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...

with statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

. Founded in 1988, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) operates in all Nigerian states

State (polity)

A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...

as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

The FRSC is currently headed by Ositadinma Benjamin Chidoka whose title is the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive (COMACE) the highest rank in the Corps ranking system.

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Nigeria. Established in 1988, the FRSC is the lead agency in Nigeria on road safety administration

Administration (government)

The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "Barack Obama administration." It can also mean an executive branch agency...

and management

Management

Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

. The statutory functions include: Making the highways safe for motorists and other road users, recommending works and infrastructures to eliminate or minimize accidents on the highways and educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of road discipline on the highways.

Historic Perspective of FRSC

Prior to the establishment of Federal Road Safety Commission in 1988, there was no concrete and sustained policy

Policy

A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...

action to address the carnage on Nigerian roads. Earlier attempts in this direction were limited to discrete and isolated attempts by some States of the Federation and individuals.

Notably among the efforts to institute a formidable road safety program, was the effort of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) between 1960–1965. The effort of the Nigerian Army

Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army the largest of the Nigerian Armed Forces, has about 100,000 professional personnel. The original elements of the Royal West African Frontier Force in Nigeria were formed in 1900....

in the training of its officers and men on road safety in the early 70’s also contributed to road safety idea and consciousness in Nigeria: The Nigerian Army started the First Public Road Safety Campaign in 1972 when it initiated an annual Road Safety Week.

The first deliberate policy on road safety was the creation in 1974 of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) by the then Military Government. The impact of the Commission was however, not sustained. In 1977, the Military Administration in Oyo State, Nigeria established the Oyo State Road Safety Corps which made some local significant improvements in Road Safety and road discipline in the State. This lasted till 1983 when it was disbanded by the Federal Government.

With the continued dangerous trend of road traffic accidents in Nigeria

Nigeria

then, which placed it as one of the most road traffic accident (RTA) proned countries worldwide (second to Ethiopia), the Nigerian Government saw the need to establish the present Federal Road Safety Corps in 1988 to address the Road Safety carnage on the highways.

Establishment Act

The unpleasant trend in the nation's road traffic system which resulted in upsurge in road traffic accidents made the Federal Government initiate a search for a credible and effective response to the challenge.

In February 1988, the Federal Government established the Federal Road Safety Commission through Decree No. 45 of the 1988 as amended by Decree 35 of 1992 referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN). Passed by the National Assembly as Federal Road Safety Commission (establishment) Act 2007.

Statutory functions

The functions of the Commission generally relates to:

1. Making the highway safe for motorists and other road users.
2. Recommending works and devices designed to eliminate or minimize accidents on the highways and advising the Federal and State Governments including the Federal Capital Territory Administration and relevant governmental agencies on the localities where such works and devices are required, and
3. Educating motorists and members of the public on the importance of discipline on the highway.

In particular, the Commission is charged with responsibilities as follows:

1. Preventing or minimizing accidents on the highway.
2. Clearing obstructions on any part of the highways.
3. Educating drivers, motorists and other members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways.
4. Designing and producing the driver’s license to be used by various categories of vehicle operators.
5. Determining, from time to time, the requirements to be satisfied by an applicant for a driver’s licence.
6. Designing and producing vehicle number plates.
7. The standardization of highway traffic codes.
8. Preventing or minimizing accidents on the highways.
9. Clearing obstructions on any part of the highways.
10. Educating drivers, motorists and other members of the public generally on the proper use of the highways.
11. Giving prompt attention and care to victims of accidents.
12. Conducting researches into causes of motor accidents and methods of preventing them and putting into use the result of such researches.
13. Determining and enforcing speed limits for all categories of roads and vehicles and controlling the use of speed limiting devices.
14. Cooperating with bodies or agencies or groups in road safety activities or in prevention of accidents on the highways.
15. Making regulations in pursuance of any of the functions assigned to the Corps by or under this Act.
16. Regulating the use of sirens, flashers and beacon lights on vehicles other than ambulances and vehicles belonging to the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police, Fire Service and other Para-military agencies;
17. Providing roadside and mobile clinics for the treatment of accident victims free of charge.
18. Regulating the use of mobile phones by motorists.
19. Regulating the use of seat belts and other safety devices.
20. Regulating the use of motorcycles on the highways.
21. Maintaining the validity period for drivers’ licences which shall be three years subject to renewal at the expiration of the validity period.

In exercising these functions, members of the Commission shall have power to arrest and prosecute persons reasonably suspected of having committed any traffic offence.

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