The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said that fleet operators play a vital role in achieving zero road accidents in the country.
The Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Malam Shehu Mohammed, said this during the annual Safety Manager Retreat on Thursday in Abuja.
The theme of the retreat is entitled: “Driver Management: Enhancing Safety Through Technology.”
The FRSC boss said that drivers were vital part of every transport business – as they also played the most crucial role in the transportation process.
“Driving can be daunting, so drivers should be encouraged by implementing policies to make their work easier.
“The recruitment of drivers – which is foundational for successful driver management, is a very delicate subject that should be handled with all caution and seriousness.
“This however, goes a long way to determine the overall safety and productivity of the fleet.
“It is essential to prioritise their well-being and enhance their safety by developing safety policies,” he said.
According to him, this includes organising training and re-training programmes to improve their skills and also utilising technological solutions to enhance their driving safety.
Mohammed said that fleet operators and managers could introduce reward system (if not in place) as an incentive for better- performance drivers in form of financial bonuses and recognition programme to encourage drivers to be more efficient.
He appealed to them to exercise caution in the recruitment of drivers, adding that drivers were crucial to the overall safety and productivity of their operations.
He called on fleet operators to embrace technology to monitor driver efficiency, analyse their behaviour, and track vehicles while in transit.
Mohammed said that the role of technology in the transportation industry (particularly deployment of telematic systems, GPS tracking and other apps) could not be over-emphasised.
“It has helped transport companies to have an overview of driver efficiency, analyse driver behaviours and monitor vehicle while in transit thereby remotely controlling drivers and the vehicles with a view of ensuring safety,”he said.
“On this note, I want to introduce all participants to recently launched FRSC Mobile App, National Crash Report Information System (NACRIS) web portal and already existing RTSSS Portal which had been revamped.
‘The mobile App is designed with modules for drivers’ license, number plates, speed limit device, emergency lines, accredited driving schools and general information on road safety,” he said.
Mohammed said that the Corps’ recent appraisal of Fleet Operators’ compliance to RTSSS Minimum Safety Standards (MSS) and installation of the Speed Limiting Device (SLD) in fleet vehicles was declining.
He said that the corps also observed increasing cases of mix loading among articulated vehicles where humans and goods were loaded together.
“This is unacceptable. This year has witnessed series of crashes resulting in multiple deaths mostly due to non-compliance to SLD installation and mix loading as earlier mentioned.
“It is the duty of safety managers to ensure their organisation step up compliance level.
“These shall no longer be tolerated as the Corps will not hesitate to sanction violators henceforth,” he said.
