13th September 2025
The Federal Road Safety Corps has said it is grappling with widespread non-compliance and sabotage of speed limiting devices among commercial vehicle operators across the country.
Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, FRSC spokesperson, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said the device was introduced to address persistent problem of speeding, which he said remained the leading cause of fatal road accident.
“The speed limiting device is a policy put in place by FRSC to checkmate the recklessness of drivers as a result of excessive speed, which is the major cause of fatal crashes,” Ogungbemide said.
He explained that data had consistently shown speed to be the highest contributory factor in road crashes, injuries, and fatalities, prompting the corps to look beyond public sensitisation.
“In Nigeria, just as is obtainable in other climes across the globe, speed emerges the highest contributory factor of road crashes, injuries and deaths.
“This observation led FRSC to an empirical approach towards finding a lasting solution, having observed that behavioural and attitudinal change methods alone cannot bring the desired result,” he added.
The Federal Government approved the policy for the compulsory installation of speed limiters on April 1, 2016, and full enforcement began on October 1 of the same year.
Despite several stakeholder engagements across the country, Ogungbemide said the corps had continued to encounter stiff opposition.
He said challenges ranged from complaints about installation costs to claims that the devices interfered with vehicle performance.
The spokesperson said, “The implementation met with challenges of non-availability of required skills for the post-installation, outright resistance by vehicle owners who view it as an added cost to vehicle acquisition, and of course, complaints of tampering with the operation of the vehicle system.”
He also accused some commercial vehicle operators of deliberately sabotaging the devices.
“Speed-related crashes still persist due to a lot of compromise by some fleet and other commercial vehicle operators who alter the calibration of the device to beat government regulations.
“This is in addition to most of them who have become non-compliant to the implementation of the policy,” he said.
As of February 3, 2025, only 187,284 vehicles had been fitted with the device, according to FRSC data.
Ogungbemide acknowledged the gap, stating, “A large number of registered commercial vehicles in Nigeria are still yet to comply.”
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