The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has imposed a ban on carrying fuel in vehicles in a bid to enhance road safety and minimize the risk of fire incidents. 

The prohibition targets motorists, especially commercial drivers, who commonly transport fuel in jerricans while on the road.

The announcement was made by the FRSC sector commander, Christopher Kuje, during the launch of a sensitisation campaign at Omagwa along the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State.

Kuje stressed the urgency of the measure, citing the alarming rate of road traffic crashes resulting in vehicles being engulfed in flames. 

He said: “The essence of the exercise was to create awareness on the dangers of carrying fuel in jerricans by commercial vehicles.

“This is so because we have had series of cases where vehicles involved in road traffic crashes were burnt to ashes, including the human beings inside.

“So, we don’t want a repeat of that. You know fire breaking out in vehicles involves three major elements or agents, namely; oxygen, heat and fuel. 

“Even though some people talk about processes of chemical reactions, which made it four. Generally, these three major agents are the ones that actually lead to fire in case of road traffic crashes.

“So, what we are trying to do is to minimize the impact of fire incidents. That is the reason we said we should go out and create this awareness so that at the end of the day, drivers will stop loading fuel in their boots or inside their vehicles.

“You know when you have fuel inside your vehicle, the problem there is that the rubber can get heated and it can also get busted. Once that is done, a little spark or even heat can ignore fire.  So, we want to avert this idea of needless death on the roads through careless attitudes and manners.”