By Dayo Johnson, Akure

No fewer than 53 persons have lost their lives in various road crashes across Ondo State in the first quarter of 2025, with 244 others sustaining injuries in 94 recorded incidents.

The statistics were disclosed by the State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Samuel Ibitoye, during a media briefing in Akure.

Breakdown of Fatalities: Male Adults: 39, Female Adults: 13, and Female Child: 1.

Ibitoye attributed the alarming rate of accidents to the following factors:

Speeding

Dangerous Driving

Overloading

Fatigue

Bad Roads

Host Issues

Impatience

Disregard for Vehicle Maintenance

Call for Behavioral Change:

Ibitoye emphasized the urgent need for all stakeholders to reflect on their roles in road safety, including:

Drivers

Pedestrians

Passengers

Government

Policy Makers

Engineers and Road Designers

Civil Society Organizations

He urged a collective change in attitude towards road safety administration and traffic management to reduce preventable deaths.

“It is also incumbent on drivers, pedestrians, and passengers to evolve a change in behavior such that every user of the road will have a duty to exhibit a positive attitude to ensure a reduction in the occurrence of road traffic crashes,” he said.

Advice to Drivers: Ibitoye specifically admonished commercial drivers to:

Avoid drunk driving

Refrain from road rage

Reduce speeding

He stressed that adherence to these guidelines would significantly reduce road traffic crashes and save lives.