Assessing the Effectiveness of FRSC Interventions in Reducing Road Traffic Crashes in North Eastern Nigeria.

Abstract:

Road traffic crashes (RTCs) remain a pressing public health and developmental challenge in Nigeria, accounting for thousands of deaths and injuries annually. The North Eastern region, comprising Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba states, is particularly vulnerable due to poor road infrastructure, insecurity, and unsafe driving practices. This study examined the effectiveness of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) interventions in reducing RTCs in the region. A multi stage sampling procedure was employed to administer 617 questionnaires to FRSC staff and fleet drivers, with 570 valid responses analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results revealed that FRSC activities significantly reduce RTCs (R² = 0.62, p < 0.01). Among interventions, driving school training programs (Mean = 4.01; ranked 1st), regular vehicle inspections (Mean = 4.21; ranked 3rd), and the graduated licensing system (Mean = 4.01; ranked 6th) were most effective. Public education campaigns, such as jingles on radio and television (Mean = 3.66; ranked 8th), contributed moderately, though their impact was constrained by inadequate equipment (Mean = 4.19; ranked 4th). Conversely, motor park rallies (Mean = 1.67; ranked 21st) and seatbelt awareness programs (Mean = 2.94; ranked 20th) were less impactful. The findings confirm that FRSC interventions are critical to reducing RTCs but remain limited by resource gaps and uneven implementation. The study recommends scaling up driver training, strengthening enforcement capacity, diversifying public education campaigns, and modernizing emergency response systems to align Nigeria with global road safety targets of halving traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.