By Ikhili Monday EBALU, Benin City
Drivers who violate traffic rules and regulations on the road would be made to undergo psychiatric test to ascertain their mental state of mind in Edo State.
The Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Samuel Odokoya who disclosed this yesterday in his office during an interview with our reporter in Benin, said the test takes effect from July 1.
Odukoya noted that the flagrant disobedience of traffic rules and regulations in the state by motorists necessitated the psychiatrist test.
“By July 1, offences like answering phones while driving, overloading, route violation (taken one way), beating of traffic among others would henceforth attract psychiatric test before the payment of stipulated fine.
“When we arrest any driver who violates traffic rules, before he is booked for the offence, he would first go for psychiatric test to ascertain his mental state of mind”, he said.
He said, “Once a driver is caught, his vehicle would be seized until the doctor confirm his mental state and the driver would pay all the expenses at the hospital as well as the fine for such offence.,”
“We believe that by the time about 40 people that committed the offence are sent for Psychiatric test, pay for the test and N50,000 fine for the violation, it would serve as deterrent to other people to comply with traffic rules,”.
According to him, Governor Godwin Obaseki has promised to provide doctors for the exercise as well as Mobile Court to try offenders after paying for the psychiatric test, adding “Obaseki is committed to stopping the menace in the state,”.
Odukoya noted that the FRSC would collaborate with the traffic management that would be set up by the governor for effective implementation of the exercise and addressing the menace.
He however warned that FRSC has zero tolerance to traffic violations and that whoever caught would be made to face the law.
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