EMBER MONTH CAMPAIGN: FRSC CAUTIONS AGAINST DRINK DRIVING

Reporter : JOSHUA OBIALO

Reactions have continued to trail the ban on sale of alcohol drinks in sachets and parks by Federal Government. In an interview with Radio Nigeria, the Route Commander and Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Abia State Sector Command, Mr. Chibunze Iroapali, said a lot of programmes had been set up to sensitize people to the dangers of drink driving.

Mr. Iroapali noted that the Sector Command had embarked on the use of alcolizers to monitor the estimate of blood alcohol content in people and the offenders would be subjected to public enlightenment for weeks before allowed to go.

According to Mr. Iroapali, the use of alcohol had contributed to about twenty to twenty-five percent of road crashes and fatalities in the country, and described the ban by the Federal Government as timely.

The FRSC Public Education Officer pointed out that the Sector Command had commenced the Early Morning Cry, which involved going to the parks to educate motorists on dangers of over-loading, over-speeding and dangers of alcohol intake while driving. He stressed that people should obey the slogan which says, Don’t drink and drive.

Mr. Iroapali said the Command would engage stakeholders, including the National Road Transport Workers and those involved in producing alcohol drinks, as part of their Ember Months campaign.

The Route Commander advised drivers to shun the popular slogan “Make I shine my eyes before I travel,” describing it as an offence against road safety rules. He mentioned some disadvantages of taking alcohol while driving.

These include visual impairment, wrong sense of judgement, feel of  dizziness and sleep, as well as contributing negatively to the socio-economic growth of the country through deaths and disabilities by accidents.