Ogun State Government has concluded arrangements to set up a taskforce on road enforcement, to curb incessant crashes in the State’s traffic corridors caused by truck drivers.

This was made known by the State Commissioner for Transportation, Engr. Gbenga Dairo in Abeokuta, during an emergency meeting with truck owners, representatives of law enforcement agencies, and other transport stakeholders within the State.

 He said most accidents involving heavy-duty trucks are caused by human errors, assuring that the State government would re-enforce strict adherence to the Code of Practices for drivers and operators of articulated lorries, as well as all other relevant standards and regulations governing their activities.

“We all need to work hand in hand and as such, a taskforce will be set up comprising of Ministry of Transportation, representatives of Truck owners, representatives of law enforcement agencies, some truck drivers and other stakeholders that will look into this and come up with lasting solutions as soon as possible”, the Commissioner said.

 While encouraging the VIS section to combat the problem by reinforcing the conduct of routine vehicle inspections and implementing a more effective accreditation, Dairo enjoined all law enforcement agencies to put all hands on deck at achieving means of putting an end to the hazard.

 "The State government wants an inclusive representation of all stakeholders to determine the cause of incessant crashes on our roads and agree on a solution in order to put an end to the menace.  Careless driving by unprofessional drivers will no longer be tolerated, any driver who must operate an articulated vehicle on state highways must be certified and properly registered with the Vehicle Inspection Services (VIS) in accordance with set regulations for safe operations based on the category of their specialized vehicle", he said.

Also speaking, his counterpart in Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Engr. Olusegun Olatunji frowned at the truck driver’s bad manners of mounting the road median, destroying sign cones and careless driving without minding other road users, charging truck owners to be mindful of the type of drivers they employ.

Contributing, the State Commissioner of Police, CP. Lanre Balogun, represented by Commander of the Motor Traffic Division (MTD), SP. Christy Okpagboro, added that the Truck Owners Association should organise sensitisation programmes for their drivers regularly to avert high fatalities recorded on the roads.

In his remarks, the Corps Commander, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Commandant Seni Ogunyemi, advised truck owners to monitor the operations of the drivers they employ and ensure that they stop driving on a one-way route, to prevent accidents as he has experienced such incident regularly.

 The Chairman, Ogun State Unified Trailers and Trucks Owners and Drivers Association (OGSVTTODA), Hon. Biodun Ajayi, who spoke on behalf of members, appreciated the State Government for the value placed on safety on their roads, advising that such a sensitisation programme should be extended to other transport associations and road users in general.