The Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) has impounded 50 rickety commercial buses during a comprehensive enforcement operation targeting unroadworthy vehicles across the state.
The Director of Vehicle Inspection Services, Akin-George Fashola, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
Fashola noted that the operation focused on vehicles that failed to meet the prescribed minimum roadworthiness standards as seen in its brakes, wipers, lights, shocks and tyres, as stipulated in the State’s Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.
“The enforcement exercise spanned various key locations including; Costain, Ikorodu Road, Ojuelegba, Yaba, Oyingbo, Ikeja, and Ojodu Berger.
“The Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) while diligently scrutinising commercial vehicles to ensure compliance with safety regulations also enlightened the drivers on the danger embedded in non-compliance, majority of which was the cause of road accidents,” he said.
Debunking the misconceptions about the VIS’s enforcement focus which was said to target more private vehicles, Fashola explained that the roadworthiness compliance was no respecter of particular categories of vehicles.
“It is expected to be implemented on all vehicles that ply Lagos roads,” he stated.
He noted that despite the professionalism displayed by VIS officers during the operation, some defiant commercial vehicle drivers resisted being apprehended and the cause of their high headedness damaged the patrol vans belonging to the VIS command.
He pointed out that such acts of defiance would not deter the state government from persisting in enforcement efforts until the prevalence of rickety vehicles was significantly reduced.
The VIS Director advised all vehicle owners to adopt voluntary compliance with roadworthiness requirements for the safety of lives and property. Fashola further reiterated that the VIS would continue to uphold its commitment to conducting fair and unbiased enforcement drives.
He urged all vehicle owners and operators to prioritise regular maintenance and adherence to roadworthiness standards to ensure the safety of all road users.