By DOTUN IBIWOYE
LAGOS—The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Lagos Sector Command and the coalition of non-governmental organisations in the state have launched  a  road safety awareness campaign tagged ‘RED CARD’  to reduce road accidents.

Sector Commander, FRSC, Lagos, Mr. Jonas Agwu, said during the flag-off, said most of the recorded road accidents were avoidable but due to carelessness on the part of drivers.

The concept of RED CARD  was borrowed  from the rule guiding the game of football where in the coures of playing on the pitch, a RED CARD is issued by a referee to a player who runs foul of the rules guiding the game indicating that the player can no longer continue with the game.

Agwu said: “Way back there were no cards· to regulate football, the concept of the yellow warning and red dismissal cards in football was taken from traffic light signs. Now we are taking advantage of football which is a game many of us enjoy to address the strong issue of bad driving habbits in Lagos.

“The Red Card concept is to be applied as a strategy in moulding the driving habits of motorists as part of the plank to reduce crashes. RED CARD, will therefore involve the production of red cards to be distributed to motorists who like referees, are expected to out to motorists who flout any of the traffic rules as Use of telephonewhile driving, traffic light violation and driving without the use of seat belt,” he said

According to him, the campaign had two sides: enlightenment and enforcement, adding that, ‘’the enlightenment part of this campaign, involves when a motorist drives in a bad way and  all kinds of foul language at the individual but rather chastise them in a civil manner.’’

Agwu stressed that RED CARD campaign by the Lagos Sector Command of the FRSC was for community-oriented regulation on bad driving by all residents of the metropolis, pointing out that ‘’motorists, passengers, as well as law enforcement agencies are enjoined to stand up to the initiated corporate check on bad drivers and bad driving habits by the command.’’