FRSC, stakeholders launch movement to end overloading, save lives

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and key stakeholders in the transportation sector have launched the National Movement for Safe Loading and Safe Roads, with a call for collective action to end overloading and other unsafe loading practices.

The FRSC said overloading was responsible for road crashes, infrastructure damage and economic losses.

At a National Breakfast Policy Dialogue themed: “Ending Overloading, Saving Lives: A National Commitment to Safer Roads and Responsible Transportation in Nigeria,” stakeholders stated the need for a coordinated approach involving government, transport operators, cargo owners, regulators, drivers, professional bodies, civil society and the media.

The dialogue, organised in Abuja is expected to culminate in the adoption and signing of the Abuja Declaration 2026, which stakeholders said must contain clear responsibilities, measurable commitments, timelines and mechanisms for monitoring progress.

The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, said overloading should no longer be treated as a traffic violation, but as a major road safety, infrastructure, logistics and economic development challenge.

Mohammed said excessive loads compromise vehicle braking, steering and stability, accelerate vehicle deterioration, increase crash risks and contributes to the premature deterioration of roads.

He also warned against mixed and improper loading, noting that the danger extends beyond the weight of cargo to what is carried, how it is combined, positioned and secured.

He stated that the inappropriate combination of passengers and cargo, incompatible or dangerous materials, and poorly secured or unevenly distributed loads pose serious risks to drivers, passengers and other road users.

The Corps Marshal said the pressure to maximise every journey, particularly in the haulage and logistics sector, must not be allowed to encourage practices that endanger lives.

He added that no reduction in transportation costs or commercial benefit was worth the loss of human life, insisting that vehicles must carry only what they are designed, licensed and safely configured to transport.