ROSOWA takes war against drunk driving to Abuja motor park

The Road Safety Officers’ Wives Association (ROSOWA) on Thursday launched a nationwide special motor park campaign to address reckless driving and substance abuse among commercial drivers.

Speaking during the campaign in Abuja, ROSOWA National President, Dr Nafisat Shehu-Mohammed, said the initiative was aimed at tackling the rising cases of road crashes linked to drug and alcohol use.

Shehu-Mohammed emphasised the need for drivers to ensure the safety and protect the rights of pedestrians, cyclists and female drivers.

The ROSOWA president maintained that the campaign became necessary to create awareness of the dangers of reckless driving on the road.

Shehu-Mohammed appealed to commuters and motorists to always obey traffic rules and avoid intake of alcoholic drinks.

She described over-speeding and driving under the influence of drugs as leading causes of highway accidents, and urged motorists to always obey traffic regulations.

“Our aim is to protect the most vulnerable on the roads which are the pedestrians, cyclists, and especially female drivers who are often ignored or mistreated by motorists.

“We have also come to realise that driving under the influence of illicit drugs and over speeding were the major factors causing accidents on the highway.

“We have seen too many tragedies caused by careless behaviour on our roads. This campaign is a wake-up call to everyone to take responsibility for their actions behind the wheel.

“Passengers should hold drivers accountable. Do not get into a vehicle if the driver is intoxicated or reckless. Your safety depends on you as much as on the driver.

“Road safety is not a one-person job. It requires the combined effort of government agencies, community groups, women’s organisations, and every road user, ” she added.

The ROSOWA President said that the association would take road safety education to schools to promote safe road behaviour from an early age.

She said “road safety begins with awareness. That is why we are also taking this message to schools to shape a new generation that values life and respects traffic laws.

“We believe in catching them young and that will be taken to both public and private schools to build a culture of safety among our children.”

Speaking, President, National Council For Women Society, (NCWS), Mrs Edna Azura said that women groups across the country would support every initiative towards protecting the rights of women and children on the road.

Azura passionately appealed to commercial drivers to give necessary assistance to women whenever the need arises.

“We will rally all women groups across the country to support this cause. Protecting women and children on the road is a collective duty.

“Commercial drivers should also learn to show empathy by assisting women in distress, especially pregnant women, nursing mothers, and school children, ” she said.

In his opening remark, the FCT Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr Chorrie Muta’a commended ROSOWA for their unwavering commitment to advancing road safety advocacy.

Muta’a assured that the Corps would continue to appreciate the programme aligning with FRSC’s vision to create a safe motoring environment towards achieving Zero Road Traffic Death.

Representative of the area one Garki central park, Ishaya Ibrahim urged the management of FRSC to assist in checking sales of alcoholic drinks in their park.

This, he said, had become a great problem in checking consumption of illicit drugs in most of the motor parks in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the campaign, held at area one Garki motor park in Abuja was as part of activities to mark 8th United Nations Global Road Safety week awareness.

The theme is STREETS FOR LIFE: Making Walking Safe, Make Cycling Safe.