By Eyo Nsima
Truck Safety Audit Limited, an accredited truck safety consultant with Lagos State Safety Commission has collaborated with stakeholders to reduce truck-related accidents in Lagos state.
The collaboration is said to be fuelled by the increasing cases of accidents in Nigeria and Lagos State particularly.
In a statement signed by the Managing Director, Truck Safety Audit Limited, Lawal Kamaldeen, who disclosed that the Truck Safety Awareness Programme was held on February 16-17, 2023 at Ibeju-Lekki area, stated: Truck safety awareness program was organized to compliment unrelenting effort of special adviser to the Governor on transport honorable Sola giwa, Vehicle Inspectorate Services (VIS)Lagos State and Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC) to reduce the articulated trucks accident to the bearest minimum in the state.
Truck and transportation are essential services for all types of industries, businesses and consumers. However, the risks, accidents and fatalities attributed directly to trucking cannot be over-emphasized due to their non-compliance with safety requirements and vehicle management regulations.
“It requires the collective efforts of the stakeholders to ensure these risks and fatalities are minimized drastically if not eliminated. In view of this, Truck Safety Audit Limited an accredited Articulated Truck Safety Consultant and an affiliate member of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) in conjunction with the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC) Directorate of Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) conducted a Truck Safety Awareness campaign, aptly themed: “Safer Trucking in Ibeju-Lekki” strategically designed to provide exposure and visibility for the stakeholders of the road transport users, suppliers, distributors and marketers.
The awareness campaign will focus on Vehicle Inspections, defensive driving, range maneuvers, motor carrier safety regulations, trip planning, cargo handling, general maintenance procedures and above all accident prevention.
“We decided to take the campaign to Ibeju Lekki zone because of the peculiarity of the area as the fastest developing area in Africa, the zone house the largest single train refinery in the world. Dangote Refinery and Petrol chemical and many more companies that attract heavy trucks activities in Lekki Epe corridor of the state.
Considering the activities on the Ibeju Lekki corridor, our target audience for the safety awareness campaign is tipper truck drivers/owners; Allied Trucks Transporter Association of Nigeria (ATTAN); National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Union of Tippers and Quarry Employer of Nigeria (UTQEN) and Union of Truck Tippers and Ajeigboro Workers Association of Nigeria (UTTAWAN).
“We are confident that this truck safety awareness campaign will greatly improve the safety culture of the truck drivers and reduce incidents of road crashes to the barest minimum.”
He stated that the stakeholders included: the ministry of Transportation Lagos State, Lagos State Safety Commission, Directorate of Vehicle Inspectorate Services Lagos State, Lagos State Transport Management agency LASTMA, Local government authorities, Nigeria Association Road Transport Owner (NARTO), Allied Trucks Transporter Association of Nigeria; Union of Tippers and Quarry Employer of Nigeria and Union of Trucks Tippers, and Ajegboro, Workers Association of Nigeria and others.
The Managing Director, who disclosed the theme of the programmes as, ‘SAFER TRUCKING IN LAGOS STATE’ maintained that, “The implementation plan is to cluster the entire state in Zone and organize Trucks Safety Awareness Campaign in each zone of the state. We have done it at Apapa, Amuwo Odofin and Kirikiri areas engaging the operators on interaction on how the Lagos State Government achieved Safer Trucking in Lagos State.
The campaign in Ibeju Lekki witness a massive tour out by VIS officials led by Assistant Director Operation
