The Nigerian Red Cross Society has raised alarm over the country’s high rate of road traffic accidents, revealing that Nigeria accounts for nearly 10 percent of the two million global road accident fatalities recorded annually.
This means about 200,000 Nigerians lose their lives each year due to road crashes.
Speaking at the launch of the Safe Steps Road Safety Campaign, the President of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga, described the situation as critical, citing the 2023 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Report on Road Safety, which ranked road accidents as the ninth leading cause of death globally.
Adeaga emphasized that reported road accidents in Nigeria likely represent only a fraction of the actual cases, as many incidents go unreported.
He warned that estimates suggest the real numbers could be up to five times higher than the recorded figures.
The Safe Steps Road Safety Campaign, launched in December 2023 in Abuja, aims to address the crisis by promoting responsible driving habits and strengthening collaboration among key stakeholders.
The initiative brings together agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to implement more effective safety measures.
According to Afolabi Lawal, a representative of the Zenith Prudence Foundation, Africa has the world’s highest road fatality rate despite having a relatively small share of the global vehicle population.
He noted that despite interventions from the WHO, the Ministry of Transport, and the FRSC, road accidents remain a major challenge, with 1.35 million fatalities recorded annually.
The Red Cross and its partners are urging stronger enforcement of road safety regulations and improved public awareness to curb the alarming rate of traffic-related deaths in Nigeria.
