The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has informed Nigerians that it is an offence to use mobile telephones in any form while behind the wheel, including whether or not their devices carry hands-free kits.
The warning came after a reporter for Premium Times was pulled by the roadside by road safety marshals on Wednesday morning in Abuja, and then he subsequently reached out to Bisi Kazeem, a spokesperson for the FRSC, to clarify whether the rule existed or the officers were being overzealous
“It is an offence to use mobile telephones in any form” while driving, Kazeem, told the news outlet.
Although the matter was resolved without a booking for traffic offence, traffic officers warned that there would soon be a nationwide clampdown on persons driving with earphones or other hands-free devices.
The road safety has enforced its policy against a direct use of mobile telephones by drivers for several years, but most drivers switched to hands-free as the most convenient way to circumvent the offence, and traffic officers hardly pull drivers with earphones.
It is believed that the delay in enforcing the policy in Nigeria has led many to assume that the option was safe in Nigeria, and it was even the first choice in a list on road safety tips for drivers.
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