The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has reported a 10% reduction in road traffic crashes nationwide in 2024, with 9,570 incidents recorded compared to 10,617 in 2023.
However, despite the decline in crashes, fatalities rose by 7%, with 5,421 deaths recorded in 2024, up from 5,081 in the previous year.
The Corps also noted a slight 2% decrease in the number of injured individuals, as 31,154 people sustained injuries in 2024 compared to 31,874 in 2023.
Shehu Mohammed, FRSC Corps Marshal, Speaking during a press briefing at the FRSC Headquarters in Abuja, also announced a 16.2% reduction in road traffic crashes during the 2024 end-of-year special patrol operations, tagged Operation Zero Tolerance.
The campaign, which ran from December 15, 2024, to January 15, 2025, aimed to ensure road safety during the Yuletide and New Year celebrations.
“From 1st January to 31st December, 2024 a total of 9,570 road traffic crashes were recorded nationwide. This figure is against 10,617 road traffic crashes recorded in 2023 which signifies a tremendous reduction of 10%. Furthermore, 31,154 people were injured in 2024 while 31,874 were injured in 2023 representing a 2% decrease,”
Highlighting the achievements and challenges encountered during the operation, Mohammed said the Corps recorded 531 road traffic crashes nationwide, a significant decrease compared to the 634 crashes recorded during the same period in 2023.
Despite the reduction in crashes, fatalities saw a sharp increase, with 402 deaths recorded in 2024 compared to 335 in the previous year marking a 20% rise.
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He added that the total number of individuals involved in crashes rose slightly by 3.1%, from 4,446 in 2023 to 4,586 in 2024 but the number of injured individuals remained unchanged at 2,055 for both years.
The Corps Marshal attributed the spike in fatalities to human errors such as overloading, fatigue, speed violations, and dangerous driving.
Mohammed also expressed concern over incidents involving the scooping of fuel from fallen tankers, which resulted in 411 deaths, representing 7.6% of total fatalities in 2024. Without these incidents, he noted that the FRSC would have recorded a 1.4% reduction in deaths compared to 2023.
Highlighting specific crashes, Mohammed noted five major incidents that claimed multiple lives, including a crash in Jebba, Kwara State, on December 26, 2024, which resulted in 30 deaths, and another on the Owo-Ikare route in Ondo State on December 28, 2024, that killed 13 passengers.
“It will interest you to note that between 15 December, 2024 to 15 January, 2025, a total of 531 crashes were recorded. Out of these reported cases, 169 were fatal, 287 serious, while 75 were minor. There were also 5 landmark crashes that defined the outcome of the number of road traffic crashes, fatalities, as well as injuries recorded.
“These were: Jing, Shendam in Plateau State on 20 December, 2024 that killed 11 people, Bende-Ohafia route in Abia State on 22 December, 2024 that killed 11 people, that of 25 December, 2024 on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway that killed 8 passengers and that of Jebba, Kwara State on Thursday 26 December, 2024 which claimed 30 lives as well as that of Owo-Ikare route before Ose bridge on 28 December, 2024 that led to the death of 13 passengers.
“These 5 landmark crashes were the most fatal crashes out of the 37 critical crashes that killed 3 persons or more; and, that accounted for 7% of the total crashes recorded during the period. However, the data further indicated that those 37 crashes alone resulted in the death of 247 persons which constituted a whopping 39% of the total deaths recorded within the period.
“The conveyance of persons in haulage vehicles, overloading of persons, conveying petroleum products in passenger vehicles and fatigue were the most probable causes of the 3 deaths and above per crash threshold. Therefore, it is obvious that the crashes were as a result of human errors,” he said
He explained further that during the operation, the FRSC intensified enforcement efforts, including special Mobile Court sessions, leading to the arraignment of 1,013 traffic offenders. Of these, 923 were convicted, three were imprisoned, and 117 were discharged.
He added that routine enforcement also saw a reduction in traffic violations, with 21,580 offenders arrested compared to 29,220 in 2023, signifying a 26% increase in compliance.
The Corps Marshal reiterated the FRSC’s commitment to reducing road traffic crashes and fatalities in 2025. He urged motorists to avoid excessive speed, overloading, and dangerous driving while cautioning passengers against boarding trailers and trucks meant for goods, particularly during night trips.
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