The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disclosed that a total of 324 persons died and 1, 706 others sustained various degrees of injury in road crashes in Kogi in 2022.

Corps Commander Stephen Dawulung, Kogi FRSC Sector Commander, made the disclosure to newsmen in Lokoja on Thursday.

Dawulung described the auto crashes in the year 2022 as “very unfortunate” and “saddening” considering the number of innocent lives of patriotic citizens that were wasted.

He further disclosed that from January to December 2022, the corps recorded a total number of 458 road crashes in Kogi.

“Out of the total cases of 458 auto crashes, 5, 161 people were involved leaving 324 persons dead and 1, 706 injured.

“To us as a corps, the casualty and the rate of crashes within that year is very high and unacceptable, but that’s the reality facing us today.

“We aren’t happy with the outcome of the report looking at the enormity of sensitisation and enlightenment campaigns we carried out during the period under review.

“Of course, we have to blame this on the recklessness of the motorists, some of who continually refused to heed to traffic rules and regulations to safety,” he said.

The sector commander called on motorists to always ensure the road worthiness of their vehicles before embarking on a journey and drive with care long the highways.

He said, “this year 2023, my Command will continue carrying out enforcements and enlightenment programmes against speed, overloading and mixed loading of goods and passengers, especially in trucks and other vehicles meant to convey only goods.”

Dawulung also advised motorists to exhibit high level of discipline and adhere strictly to road traffic regulations to avoid such ugly incidents.