The Anambra State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps has charged truck and articulated vehicle operators in the state to ensure strict compliance with safety standards on the highways or risk prosecution.
Andrew Kumapayi, the Sector Commander of the FRSC in the state, gave the charge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Awka on Friday.
Kumapayi expressed discomfort over the increasing rate of road crashes involving trucks and articulated vehicles and expressed the commands poise to strictly enforce traffic rules in the state.
He called on tanker drivers to always install safety valves in their trucks to prevent inflammation, especially during emergencies.
He further charged them to ensure that the construction of the tanks met minimum standard and approved by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria.
He said: “Container drivers must properly latch their containers to the vehicles or be ready to face sanctions.”
Kumapayi blamed a majority of the accidents on speed, saying: “We have had stakeholders’ meeting on ways to stop these crashes.
“Tanker drivers must ensure that their containers are approved by SON and there are safety valves on them to avoid fire in the event that it falls off.
“All the tankers on Anambra corridor must be latched or well attached to the vehicles.
“They must ensure that their vehicles are in good condition and must desist from speed.”
He said the command would commence full enforcement of the safety measures on tankers, trucks and articulated vehicles on Monday.
Kumapayi pledged the command’s commitment to the reduction in crashes and zero fatality in the state.
NAN.