AKSU Journal of Communication Research (AJCR)

Knowledge and Attitude of Commercial Motorists in South-West Nigeria toward FRSC’s Festive Radio Campaigns and its Influence on Road Safety Knowledge and Practices

Author:  Professor Helen Odunola ADEKOYA, Moyinoluwa Precious AJAYI and Dr. Emmanuel IKPEGBU

Abstract
The continuous occurrence of road traffic accidents in Nigeria, especially the sharp increases during festive seasons, is an issue that will always attract the attention of various stakeholders in the road transport sector, especially the general public. The alarming trend, characterised by frequent crashes and fatalities, is exacerbated by factors such as the increased use of vehicles during holidays, aggressive driving behaviours, and widespread non-compliance with road traffic regulations. Despite the establishment of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for the purpose of addressing these challenges through enforcement and public awareness campaign, road traffic accidents remain a significant public health and policy concern. The study examined the level of knowledge of road safety practices that commercial motorists in South-West Nigeria possess as a result of their exposure to FRSC’s festive campaign on radio. The objectives of the study were to examine the level of knowledge of road safety practices that commercial motorists in South-West Nigeria possess as a result of their exposure to FRSC's festive campaign on radio and to evaluate the attitude of commercial motorists in South- West Nigeria towards FRSC's festive campaign on radio for road safety. The study adopted descriptive survey to gather information that was needed for the study. The population of the study consists of 22,466 commercial motorists registered under National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States. The sample size of this study was 393. The multi-stage sampling technique through the use of simple random sampling, purposive sampling, quota sampling, and accidental sampling technique was adopted to select commercial motorists registered under NURTW in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States. The findings revealed that commercial motorists in South-West Nigeria possessed a moderate to high level of knowledge of road safety practices as a result of their exposure to FRSC festive radio campaign. It was recommended that FRSC should increase message frequency and integrate complementary communication channels such as park-based briefings, mobile public address systems, and digital platforms to further consolidate knowledge acquisition. It was concluded that the FRSC festive radio campaign significantly contributed to the promotion of road safety among commercial motorists in South-West Nigeria, beginning with the strong institutional collaboration that underpinned its implementation.