The ember period is usually marked by increased social, cultural and economic activities.


The period, which brings the last quarter of the year to an end, is fast-paced, with increased volume of traffic which often singles out the period as having the highest road accident rate in a year.


In this special report, correspondent, Daniel Ezeigwe, looks at why road accidents have become synonymous with ember period and how the scourge could be checkmated.


Ember month, a popular period that has become unique for its mixed perceptions, is collectively used to describe the last four months of the year namely September, October, November and December.


There are popular views that ember months are the busiest periods of the year, perhaps, because they mark the end of the year when people strive to bring every event of the year to a close.


Marriages, funerals, and other top social and cultural events are usually reserved for ember months because of the significance of the period.
With these series of activities come gridlocks, impatience, and uncalculated rush from most road users which lead to eventual road mishaps.


Speaking on the readiness of the Anambra State Government to ensure that Anambra roads do not record the annual tragedy, the Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Afam Mbanefo, noted that the ministry had embarked on a programme tagged “Operation Decongest Anambra Traffic” utilizing a strategy called the “LTT Scheme” to learn the traffic, test the traffic and train the commuters.


On his part, the Transition Committee Chairman of Dunukofia Local Government Area, Engineer Emeka Okonkwo who also owns one of the major transport companies in Anambra State, spoke of the need for a joint effort by both transport company owners and regulatory agencies to train drivers on proper road culture, adding that his organization has always taken steps to ensure that safety of road users comes first.


A road user, Chief Chijioke Okechukwu, blamed the ugly trend on wrong rmindset of some road users in their efforts to make ends meet at all costs, calling on commuters to prioritize safety as there would always be other ember periods ahead to live for.

No related posts.