Every day, a regular Nigerian wakes up with a hopeful mindset to travel freely to different places. Sadly, most journeys come to an abrupt end due to unexpected road accidents. A 2014 report from the Global Road Safety Facility, a World Bank-hosted fund, identifies Nigeria as the country with the most fatalities from traffic crashes.
In the first half of 2023, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) reported that a total of 4,387 people died as a result of road traffic crashes across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This figure translates to an average of 731 fatalities each month or about 24 lives lost daily.
Moreover, data obtained from FRSC showed that 3, 372 died from road crashes in the first half of 2022 — a difference of 1, 015 from 2023, indicating there is 26% increase from 2022. The report equally indicated that a total of 4,691 road crashes were recorded, 14,108 individuals suffered injuries due to these accidents, while an additional 15,789 were rescued unharmed by the Corps.
According to data from Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), it showed that men were the most victims of road accidents. In Q1 2023, 78 per cent of the accident victims were male while female victims constituted 15 per cent with the remaining being shared between male child and female child. In Q2 2023, 76 percent of accident victims were males, with women constituting 17 percent just as the male and female children shared the balance.
Our analysis further showed that at 33 percent, cars caused the most accidents on Nigerian roads, followed by motorcycle, minibuses and trucks. Though data from NBS, disclosed that largest chunk of the accidents, or 67 per cent, was caused by commercial vehicles and private vehicles.
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North-Central recorded the highest number of crashes in Q1 2023 with 973, followed by the South-West with 678, while the South-South had the least with 122. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) emerged with the highest figures of road crashes nationwide.
Analysing different reported road crashes, revealed that frequent causes of this accidents include; night-time journeys, driver fatigue, violations of road rules, dangerous overtaking, use of worn-out or expired tires, and speeding.
A significant factor contributing to these accidents is the involvement of untrained or partially trained and inexperienced drivers and most of the accidents resulted from speed violation, as six out of ten accidents were caused by drivers’ inability to control their speed at the time of impact.
However, concerns are raised about the prevalence of incidents during nighttime hours, as drivers often exploit the absence of law enforcement during these times to flout traffic regulations.
In a move to mitigate loss of life on roads, government traffic agencies are working teeth and nail to ensure vehicles meet essential safety standards before embarking on long journeys, and drivers adhere to maximum safety protocols. They equally engaged with truck owners to stress the importance of equipping their vehicles with functional onboard cameras for continuous monitoring of driver activities and installing safety valves in tankers to prevent spillage in the event of a crash.
Let’s take a look at the major road crashes, based on high level of fatality, and the months in which these accidents are more frequent.
Timeline On Major Accidents in 2023
JANUARY:
On the 1st of January, 8 persons died, 22 sustained various injuries in two separate accidents in Ogun State.
On the 1st of January, 7 persons were also confirmed dead in an accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and 16 others were injured in the crash.
On the 4th of January, multiple auto crashes that occurred a few kilometres from Nabardo village on Bauchi-Jos Federal Highway burnt 18 people to death.
On the 6th of January, no fewer than 7 people from Kwanar Dangora town in Kiru Local Government Area of Kano State were killed in an auto crash that occurred along Kano-Zaria Road.
On the 9th of January, 12 persons were killed and five others were injured in a road accident that occurred in Sokoto.
On the 15th of January, about eight persons died in a multiple road crash which occurred at Nicon Junction in the Federal Capital Territory.
On the 15th of January, 16 supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau lost their lives following a road accident in Mangu Local Government Area.
On the 15th of January, 10 persons were feared dead and several others were injured in an auto crash on Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway in Abuja.
On the 21st of January, 20 people lost their lives in both Ogun and Plateau during road crashes.
JUNE:
On the 19th of June, 18 passengers of a Lagos-bound 18-seater bus were burnt to ashes in an accident that occurred along Bida-Minna road, Saturday.
On the 30th of June, auto crash claimed the lives of 11 Salvation Army Ministry International on the bridge across the Ovia River along the Benin-Lagos Expressway.
JULY:
On the 19th of July, 16 persons, including six children, were killed in three different road accidents in Osun State within two days.
On the 21st of July, 14 persons were killed in Ilesa-Akure express road accident on Saturday, while two person were reported dead on Gbongan-Osogbo road, yesterday.
OCTOBER:
On the 9th of October, accident on the Lagos-Ibadan highway in Ogun State claimed the lives of 4 individuals.
On the 20th of October, no fewer than 11 persons were confirmed dead in two separate accidents which occurred on the federal highway across the Ogun State corridors.
On the 22nd of October, 7 die in Osun, 4 in A’Ibom crashes road accident that occurred in Oogi, Osun State.
NOVEMBER:
On the 2nd of November, a fatal auto crash on the Gusau-Funtua Road in Zamfara claimed lives of 12 individuals.
On the 12th of November, 8 members of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) band lost their lives in a fatal accident along the Kano/Zaria road.
On the 29th of November, 12 people lost their lives in a fatal road traffic accident involving Trailer, three vehicles at Peke, along the Olooru-Okoolowo, Ogbomoso Route, in Kwara
DECEMBER:
On the 2nd of December, 5 people lost their lives and 11 others were injured in a tragic auto crash involving a Nissan Caravan and a Mark Truck on the Itu-Calabar road.
On the 10th of December, 16 individuals lost their lives in Kaduna-Abuja Expressway and 27 others sustained injuries in a road crash at Audu Jhangon village.
On the 12th of December, 10 people lost their lives following a collision on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
On the 25th of December, no fewer than 9 passengers lost their lives following a road accident that occurred while travelling along the Ikirun/Offa Expressway.
On the 26th of December, 11 die in Osun, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crashes.
On the 29th of December6 people lost their lives and 16 others injured by a trailer Carrying 27 Cows in Gombe.