The Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anthony Oko, says 50 percent of the road crashes in the country are due to poor sights of drivers.
Oko made this comment during a sensitization programme and free eye test organised in Benin, the Edo state capital by the command, in collaboration with the Optometrists Association of Nigeria, Edo chapter.
The Edo FRSC boss said because of this, drivers need to check their sights regularly, adding “to prevent accidents, we need to do eye tests,” he said.
Oko stated that the essence of the programme was to enhance accurate driving and prevent accidents on the road.
The Commander said road crashes are caused by human, mechanical and weather errors, stressing that the human element usually led to colossal loses.
“Not everybody knows how to drive under the rain,” he also said.
In his remarks, the Secretary of the Edo chapter of the Optometric Association of Nigeria, Dr. Onoriode Ateka, said there is need to educate drivers on the importance of sight to guarantee safety on the road.
Ateka said during the exercise, eyeglasses would be recommended for those who needed them while those who would need treatment would be advised accordingly.
He, therefore, advised drivers to endeavour to go for eye checks at least once in a year to update their vision.
Some of the beneficiaries of the programme, commended the organisers because it had enabled them to seek the solution to their eye problems in order to avoid accidents on the road.