The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) rescued no fewer than 1,075 injured crash victims in 2025, marking a significant expansion of its emergency response operations across Lagos State.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, disclosed this in a statement issued Sunday in Lagos by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Mr. Taofiq Adebayo.
Bakare-Oki described the development as a major milestone in the agency’s sustained campaign to strengthen road safety standards and decisively reduce traffic crashes statewide.
According to him, the rescue interventions were carried out across critical traffic corridors through rapid response frameworks, enhanced inter-agency collaboration and the strategic deployment of personnel to high-risk flashpoints.
Operational data further revealed that LASTMA’s intensified enforcement drive led to the impoundment of 5,581 private vehicles for various traffic infractions.
In addition, 10,825 commercial vehicles were apprehended for offences including reckless driving, overloading, obstruction, mechanical deficiencies and violations of established traffic regulations.
The agency also seized 760 vehicles for one-way violations – a dangerous practice repeatedly linked to head-on collisions and avoidable fatalities on Lagos roads.
Bakare-Oki said the figures reflect a deliberate shift toward proactive traffic governance anchored on modern technology, intelligence-led enforcement and sustained public enlightenment campaigns.
He noted that LASTMA personnel frequently place themselves at operational risk to rescue victims, secure accident scenes, restore traffic flow and coordinate seamlessly with medical and emergency agencies to prevent secondary crashes.
“A significant proportion of the rescued victims were involved in crashes caused by excessive speed, mechanical failure, fatigue, impaired driving and hazardous manoeuvres such as driving against traffic,” he said.
The general manager stressed that vehicle impoundment forms a core component of a broader deterrence strategy aimed at enforcing compliance, removing unsafe vehicles from circulation and reinforcing traffic laws as critical safeguards for lives and property.
Expressing concern over recurring one-way violations, he described the offence as a major trigger for devastating collisions, adding that the apprehension of offenders underscores the agency’s zero-tolerance stance against actions that endanger road users.
While highlighting enforcement gains, Bakare-Oki maintained that sustainable road safety outcomes require active cooperation from motorists, transport unions, fleet operators and the general public.
He said LASTMA continues to strengthen advocacy initiatives, stakeholder engagement platforms and targeted sensitisation campaigns to encourage voluntary compliance.
Despite the progress recorded in 2025, he reiterated that road safety remains a shared responsibility and urged motorists to obey speed limits, ensure vehicle roadworthiness, avoid one-way driving and comply with lawful directives from traffic officers.
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