The Federal Road Safety Commission on Wednesday said all was set for the whole scale enforcement of speed limiting device in commercial vehicles across Nigeria.

FRSC spokesman, Bisi Kazeem, said in a statement Tuesday that the commission will go ahead with the February 1 deadline for all commercial vehicles to be equipped with speed-limiting devices.

Mr. Kazeem’s statement said “the army, police, civil defence, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies were on standby to provide security support.”

Similarly, all sector and field commands of the FRSC had been fully mobilised for the exercise, Mr. Kazeem said.

He stated that mobile courts had been set up nationwide for the purpose, adding that defaulters could pay up to N3,000 as penalty depending on the discretion of the courts.

“In readiness for the full enforce tomorrow, the field commands have been fully mobilised to commence full blast enforcement of the SLD nationwide.

“To facilitate enforcement, a portal of speed limiting device (SLD) was created and is operational and a short code to confirm the installation of SLD is active.

“A standard operating procedure (SOP) has been dispatched with a directive that copies of those SOP be shared to security agencies within the commands’ areas of jurisdiction.

“A template for daily report has also be designed and forwarded to commands, while booking sheets with Failure to Install Speed Limiting Device (FSLD) have been distributed to field commands,’’ he said.

For effectiveness, the spokesman added that sector commanders had been instructed to carry out joint patrols with unit commands in the whole of February.

According to him, commands are expected to hold mobile court sittings from the onset, and where mobile courts are likely to slow down enforcement they can proceed without them.

“We have created a situation room to monitor and collate report on daily basis and test-run for the clampdown.

“Sector commands are fully prepared and have made arrangements for security backups and joint patrols with the police, civil defence, army and other security agencies,’’ he said.

The FRSC had deferred the deadlines for the speed-limiters requirement three times between 2015 and 2016.

The commission said the new policy will help curb incessant road crashes in the country while improving traveling experience of motorists.

Source: Premium Times