(Overloaded Vehicle. Photo by Punch Newspaper)
Along the Bauchi–Kari route in the Darazo Unit Command, a dangerously overloaded vehicle carrying passengers seated on top of heaped goods was stopped by the Federal Road Safety Corps, zone 12, Bauchi.
This was announced in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr. Osondu Ohaeri, the Corps Public Education Officer.
The car was in flagrant violation of safety laws, according to Ohaeri, who called the behavior a reckless hazard of human lives.
He said that the development represented a grave safety breach, as the passengers were completely exposed to fatal risks in the event of a crash, sudden braking or loss of control.
According to him, overloading goes beyond a mere traffic offence and constitutes a life-threatening decision with potential fatal consequences.
“Overloading puts passengers and other road users in grave danger, increases stopping distance, and compromises vehicle stability.”
The CPEO warned that no journey was worth the sacrifice of human life, emphasizing that such actions greatly increased the danger of traffic accidents and fatalities.
He insisted that people should never be treated like cargo and asked drivers and automobile owners to rigorously adhere to the loading limits.
Ohaeri reiterated the corps’ commitment to stepping up enforcement of traffic laws and guaranteeing the security of all drivers across the country.