Much Ado About Ember Months

William Ekpeyong (not real name), could not help but weep uncontrollably after watching a sitcom during the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) 9pm Network News bulletin. The sitcom was on the inherent hazards of dangerous driving and other road vices.

He, thereafter, shuddered with fright after watching a rescue team from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) pull out two dead victims (children) from the notorious Ovia River, located 21km from the Benin toll gate. The two were victims of a fatal crash which occurred on 12th September, 2024, involving travellers in a commercial bus from Lagos heading to Port-Harcourt, before their vehicle suddenly veered off the road and plunged into the river.

According to the Edo State Sector Command of the FRSC, six persons were rescued alive while other passengers were trapped in the vehicle before being retrieved with various degrees of injuries. It is even more disturbing to note the peculiar nature of the slope which curves sharply into the Ovia River and has accounted for a series of road crashes between January and August this year.

On 16th September, 2024, four persons were burnt to death and eight others injured at RCC on the Ore-Ijebu Ode Expressway at 2pm. According to the FRSC source, the fatal crash occurred after a White Toyota Hiace Bus crashed due to fatigue and loss of control with 18 passengers involved, (eight adult males and 10 adult females).

These gloomy reflections were the pre-occupations on the mind of Alhaji Adekunle as he lay bedridden in his room with feeling of relief after surviving a near fatal lone crash which left him with spinal cord injuries. Within the last 11 months, he has passed through the doctor’s surgical knives five times with scars which only brings unpleasant memories.

With occasional grunts; he recounts the painful experience of 5th October, 2024, which according to him, was an unforgettable day of his life. A day which put an abrupt end to all his plans and then confined him to a solitary bed and has to move with the aid of one of his children, Kunle, who has virtually stopped going to school in order to attend to his father’s needs.

According to Adekunle, “I had almost passed the Kachia Road in Kaduna when I heard a sudden sound which was followed by a burst tire and the next thing I saw was the bus skidding off the road. I woke up later on a hospital bed with a strange numb feeling on my left leg.

The nurse later told me that I was brought in by concerned Nigerians together with some of my passengers who were involved in the near fatal accident and now, I can no longer use my left leg. It is very painful.” he said.

Also recounting an unpleasant experience during a trip which started from the Kaduna Mando Park at exactly 7.30pm in November of last year, Miss Ephraim Bassey; a tomato seller who trades on perishable food items at the popular Uyo Central Market,  recalled from her hospital bed in Abuja that “the fatal crash which claimed seven lives and left four other passengers in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of Unity Clinic at Kubwa, could have been averted if the driver had noticed the worn-out tyre on his vehicle before the night trip which has left me with a severe neck and back injury that made it difficult for me to sit down for too long. It was very ghastly and I was lucky to have lived through it.” she explained.

A common feature between Adekunle and Ephraim’s near-death experiences is the fact that both are hinged on the premise that both accidents occurred during the period which most people referred to as the “Ember Months”.

The “Ember Months” usually refer to the calendar months of September to December. These are the months during which higher incidence of deaths and injuries through road traffic accidents due to the increased number of road users in the run up to the festive season, are usually recorded.

As usual, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has initiated a novel strategy towards imparting safety consciousness among road users across the country during this year’s Yuletide season by flagging off its usual awareness campaign with the theme: “Speak Up Against Dangerous Driving: Crashes Kill More Passengers Than Drivers”.

According to the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, “Disturbed by recurring trends over the years during the ember season, we resolved to introduce new dynamic strategic approaches to public sensitisation. The new approaches include robust press conferences, sustained mega town hall meetings, motorised rallies, transit rest areas, and loading bays advocacy”.

Speaking further, the corps marshal added, “This strategy arose from the need to directly engage passengers and encourage them to assert their rights, thereby curbing drivers’ excesses, because it is on record that more passengers are killed in road traffic crashes than drivers”.

–Joseph is a deputy corps commander at the FRSC Headquarters in Abuja

Mohammed added that “the rules of engagement during this period also include ensuring smooth traffic flow, reduce road crashes through robust sensitisation of passengers, enforce traffic laws more rigorously, and improve public awareness on road safety ideals. This is in line with the Corporate Strategic Goal of the Corps for the year, which is designed to reduce road fatalities by five percent.”

Most worrisome is the generally held misconception which ascribes the spate of road crashes during the ember season to the activities of some spiritual forces. These spiritual forces operate on designated routes of the nation’s highways with the primary motive of “sucking human blood” through road carnages which often result in untimely death of drivers and passengers of “targeted” vehicles plying the highways.

While debunking these claims, the corps marshal also explained that “the insinuations that road traffic crashes are caused by spiritual forces is laughable and unfounded. The fact remains that over 90 percent of road traffic accidents are due to human causes. We have drivers who will refuse to obey traffic rules and regulations, drivers who despite the fact that they know the dangerous consequences, will still go ahead and buy Tokunbo (fairly used) tyres and take excess alcohol while driving.

So, it is a combination of these factors that are responsible for the accidents you see on the roads and not any spiritual forces. Added to this trend is the reluctance of most drivers to do the routine morning checks on their vehicles before leaving home or the motor parks,” he further said.

It then follows that attitudinal syndrome remains a determinant factor towards safer road use in Nigeria. Little wonder, the FRSC corps marshal will always assert that “bad use of the road and not bad roads lead to road crashes”, meaning that the driver’s acts of omission and poor judgment has a direct bearing on road crashes.

In trying to elucidate on the traffic peculiarities associated with the ember season and efforts put in place by the FRSC management to mitigate crashes during this year’s festive season, a look at vehicle condition and vehicle accessories will no doubt, equip vehicle owners with adequate knowledge on maintenance and proper use of vehicles in order to reduce avoidable road crashes, especially during the Yuletide season.

Let me start with understanding vehicle accessories which are provided in every vehicle. However, their state and condition are determined by the proper, correct or effective use of necessary accessories provided in such vehicles. Some of these accessories which every driver should understand how to work with include:

Seat adjustment spring/knob, seat belt, steering, mirrors (side and inner), dashboard informative signs, gear lever, head lamp switch, trafficator/signal switch, hazard light switch, pedals (brake, clutch and throttle/accelerator) horn button, dryer/defroster buttons, spare tyres, C- Caution Sign and wheel spanner among others.

As usual, the FRSC management has ramped up efforts towards commencing this year’s annual “Operation Zero” nationwide exercise from the month of December to mid -January of 2025. This initiative is deliberately structured by the corps to upscale its numerous activities.

These activities range from high visibility through massive deployment of personnel and logistics, intensive patrols, route lining, prompt clearance of road obstructions, aerial surveillance, prompt rescue services, strict enforcement of traffic rules and robust public enlightenment campaigns.

As expected during this period, commuters are enjoined to speak up against reckless driving and report any noticeable case or traffic-related matters through the FRSC Mobile Application, 122 toll-free line or the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM for prompt intervention.

By these robust action plans, the FRSC has once again, demonstrated its commitment towards safer roads during this year’s “Operation Zero” exercise. It is also expected that strict compliance with traffic rules and regulations, proper vehicle maintenance and sound mind will yield the expected dividends. Road crashes do not discriminate and it is expected that it is only our positive attitude that can change the trend of road crashes in Nigeria especially during the Yuletide.

Joseph is a deputy corps commander at the FRSC Headquarters in Abuja