The Federal Road Safety Corps has cautioned motorists to take necessary safety measures when their vehicles break down on highways.
The Corps Public Education Officer, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said motorists must understand proper road usage and safety procedures to prevent avoidable accidents.
Ogungbemide was commenting on the December 29, 2025 crash involving British-Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Joshua narrowly escaped death after his car crashed into a parked truck.
The crash, which occurred on the busy Ibadan-Lagos Expressway, claimed the lives of two of his friends, Ayodele Kelvin Olu, a Nigerian-British citizen, and Gami Sina, a British citizen, while others, including the boxing champion, sustained injuries.
Speaking on the need to exercise caution while driving, Ogungbemide said, “When we talk about the road structure, we have the main carriageway with driving and overtaking lanes (popularly known as fast and slow lanes), as well as the service lane and the shoulder. In the Anthony Joshua incident, the truck was parked on the shoulder.”
According to him, a vehicle parked on the shoulder does not constitute an obstruction, unlike one left on the main carriageway.
The FRSC spokesman said the agency has the mandate to promptly remove such obstructions once it is notified.
He added that motorists also have a responsibility to inform the FRSC whenever a breakdown occurs on the highway.
“The one parked on the shoulder is not an obstruction. If it is parked on the service lane, the service lane is a temporary point where you park in case your vehicle has an emergency issue; display all the road signs and move it immediately. But if the vehicle is parked permanently on the main road, it becomes an obstruction.
“When there is a breakdown of a vehicle on the highway, there should be prompt notification. Members of the public have the responsibility of informing us.
“When your vehicle breaks down on the road and you cannot move it, you owe other road users the responsibility of displaying proper caution signs about 50 metres away from the vehicle to alert them that there is an obstruction ahead,” he added.
Ogungbemide also urged motorists to use reflective tapes to enhance visibility, especially at night.
Speaking further, he said, “Motorists can be aggressive at times. When we are trying to push these vehicles off the road, you will see them mobilising and blocking highways, but we use both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to ensure these vehicles do not obstruct others.”
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