The Plateau State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has advised motorists in the state on the importance of embarking on regular medical check-up.

The state’s Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Crawford Oti gave the advice on Saturday at a one-day sensitisation campaign held at the NTA Motor Park, Jos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation campaign tagged: ‘Beyond the road,’ was aimed at enlightening drivers on the implications of plying the highways with illnesses in the body system.

Oti said that being healthy as a motorist was the first step in safety measures, hence the rationale for the awareness campaign.

“We believe that a healthy mind and a sound body is a catalyst for safety on the road and can also make drivers do things right.

“Imagine the amount of damage to lives and property a driver dosing in the middle of a highway can cause.

“Most of these internal illnesses may not really show, but they can be very dangerous; they are silent killers.

“So, if drivers will regularly check their blood pressure, sight, and other important sense organs, it will help in reducing crashes on our highways.”

The sector commander also admonished motorists to desist from overloading, speeding, dangerous overtaking and drunk-driving.

He further charged them to abstain from using cell phones while driving, and encouraged them to ensure that their vehicles were in good condition and also to maintain concentration while driving.

Speaking at the event, Secretary, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Plateau State, Alhaji Idris Adamu described the initiative as timely, promising that the union would fully explore it.

He pledged that the union would also ensure that all drivers at the various parks across the state embarked on regular medical check-up so as to ascertain their health status.

“Initially we were not aware of this initiative, but now that we know, we shall ensure it is sustained.

“We all know that once a driver is healthy, the risk of accident is reduced by 40 per cent, because it is the number one safety measure.”

NAN also reports that highlight of the event was the testing of the motorists’ blood pressure by officers and men of the commission. (NAN)

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