By Justus Adetomiwa, Ado-Ekiti
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ekiti State Command, has commenced a five-day special enforcement exercise on the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS), deploying patrol teams, desk officers and mobile courts to motor parks, highways and school zones across the state.
The exercise, which began on Monday, is in compliance with the directive of the Corps Marshal and forms part of a nationwide campaign to standardise road transport operations and reduce road traffic crashes.
The Ekiti State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Sanya Adeoye, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Command’s Public Education Officer, RC Obinna Egesie.
Adeoye said the enforcement would target operators who fail to comply with the legally approved electronic passenger manifest, unregistered fleet operators, overloading of passengers and goods, illegal installation of extra seats in commercial vehicles, and violations involving school buses.
He added that the operation would also focus on speed limiter violations, overspeeding, dangerous driving, failure to affix FRSC certification stickers, use of worn-out and substandard tyres, as well as other RTSSS infractions.
According to him, the exercise is aimed at creating awareness among fleet operators and transport stakeholders, increasing the enrolment of unregistered fleet operators into the RTSSS database, ensuring sustained implementation of RTSSS policies, assessing compliance levels and enforcing the use of electronic passenger manifests and FRSC certification stickers on registered commercial vehicles.
The Sector Commander stressed that the Command would ensure strict compliance with the scheme, warning that Ekiti State would not be exempted from the nationwide enforcement.
He warned that defaulting operators and drivers would face arrest, vehicle impoundment and prosecution through the mobile courts deployed for the exercise.
The Command advised fleet operators, transport unions and school authorities to regularise their operations by registering their fleets, installing functional speed limiters and ensuring the required certification stickers are affixed to their vehicles.
It also urged members of the public to report traffic violations through the FRSC toll-free emergency line, 122.