The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has unveiled groundbreaking strategies to combat Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs), shifting focus from motor park rallies to community-based initiatives across the country.
The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO) Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Olusegun Ogungbemide said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
Ogungbemide said the Corps was concerned about the loss of steam and relevance of the motor park rally style of reaching out to drivers and members of the public in its campaign for safer road environment.
He said that the Corps had changed to the Town Hall meetings and press conferences as the alternative campaign strategies while not totally negating motor park rallies.
Ogungbemide noted that over the years, the Corps had always relied on the motor park rally method of public enlightenment programs by which drivers and travellers were gathered at the parks.
This, he said, were where road safety education and enlightenment issues were shared to them through interactive sessions with the participants.
“The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed approved the use of town hall meetings, on transit campaigns and press conferences as the most suitable means of communicating road safety messages to the target groups which every command has been directed to adopt henceforth.
“That is in his commitment to eradicating pervasive cases of road traffic crashes being recorded across the country.
”The Corps Marshal in his diligent commitment to finding solutions through appropriate means of reaching out to the public especially the drivers and Commuters in passing road safety messages saw the need to review our old engagement system with the public through a more effective communication system.
“That was what gave birth to the ideas of town hall meetings and press conferences, which the National Headquarters of the Corps and field commands would henceforth be committed to utilising.
“This includes the yearly ember months special enlightenment programs,” he said.
The FRSC spokesman stressed that in giving effect to the new method, the usual flag off of the end of the year special road safety campaign for this year would be different.
He said that commanding Officers and public education officers in the field commands would constantly brief the public through engagement with various stakeholders in town hall fashion and press conferences.