Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has stated that 30 per cent of truck drivers in the country have failed vision tests conducted by the commission.
Oyeyemi made this known at the 2020 Truck Renewal Conference in Abuja.
The conference with the theme: ‘Truck Renewal System: Ensuring Road Transportation Safety’ was jointly organised by the Major oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAM), and Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).
He said that most of the truck drivers had eyesight challenges and it had made it more dangerous for them to drive at night, describing most of the drivers as “lawless”.
He said that most of the trucks plying the road did not operate with the minimal safety standard which, according to him, had contributed to the cause of many road accidents.
Oyeyemi said that MOMAN and NARTO with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) should join forces in ensuring that drivers complied with the rules and regulation of traffic while driving their trucks.
The FRSC boss commended the effort of president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration at reviving the rail system, saying that it would help to reduce the over reliance on the road for haulage of Petroleum products.
“If the rail is functioning well, pressure will reduce on the road,” he added.
He called for full auditing of trucks and installation of safety valves on the trucks before using them on the road.
