The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has charged road transport unions and relevant stakeholders including tanker owners to ensure rigorous training for tanker drivers on safe driving culture.
The Acting Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu made the call during the launch of the book, ‘Efficiency in Trucking Operations’, written by a retired FRSC personnel, Mr Augustine Aipoh, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Biu, who was represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal, Administration, said that such training would minimise traffic accidents involving tankers.
He said that training drivers was one of the antidotes to frequent road crashes and tanker explosion in the country.
The corps marshal said tanker owners must also ensure that their vehicles were in good condition to avoid unnecessary crashes.
“We are charging them to start engaging their members in rigorous traffic trainings so as to meet minimum safety standards concerning their vehicles.
“It is very important to train and retrain them, to enable them follow the rules and regulations and to meet the road standard concerning their vehicles,” he added.
The FRSC boss said that the recommendations and solutions to tanker crashes contained in the book would help in curtailing the menace of road traffic crashes in Nigeria.
Biu said that the book was rich in content and encouraged all to read it while recommending lectures in local languages to help drivers have better understanding of safe driving culture.
The Chairman, Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union (PTD), Mr Lucky Osesua also recommended the book for all road users including tanker drivers.
Osasua urged the author to make the book available to drivers in all motor parks, to enhance their knowledge on road saftey standards.
“The book is for all of us, my prayer is that all of us would read the book and work on the knowledge shared,” he added.
Aipoh, the author, said that he was motivated to write the book in order to share his 30 years experience in traffic management as an FRSC officer.
Aipoh said that it was difficult to manage truck drivers because of their unruly behaviour while on the road.
“Some of the roads are not even meant for them. The time they work as truck drivers was a problem on its own,” he said.
The author said that the book highlighted the challenges in the trucking industry, and provided solutions and recommendations to enhance safety on the highways.
He said that the major cause of tanker crashes in the country was lack of safety valves, which must be adhered to avoid crashes.
He also called for more training for tanker drivers to refresh their minds on the need for consistent respect for road saftey standards.
The book launch was attended by officials of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NUPENG, PTD, retired road safety officers and other stakeholders.
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