The Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA), on Thursday launched its 2026 Ember Months campaign, targeting a significant reduction in road traffic crashes and zero fatalities across the state during the festive season and beyond.

The campaign, themed “Safe Road, Safe Life: Drive Responsibly,” was unveiled at a media briefing held at the state Secretariat, Ibadan.

OYRTMA Chairman, Major Adekoya Adesagba (rtd), said the campaign would focus on five strategic areas: advocacy, enforcement, emergency response, inter-agency collaboration, and monitoring and evaluation.

Adesagba explained that the authority would intensify enforcement of traffic regulations and strengthen emergency response mechanisms through improved collaboration with relevant agencies, alongside a more effective referral and monitoring system.

Adesagba identified speeding, driving against traffic, drunk driving, overloading and the use of mobile phones while driving as major causes of road crashes during the Ember Months, noting that these offences often contribute to increased accidents during the festive period.

He said OYRTMA would partner religious leaders across the state to promote road safety awareness, with safety messages incorporated into sermons and other activities in places of worship.

According to him, the statewide campaign will begin on Monday, November 2, 2026, with a road walk, followed by sustained public enlightenment and sensitisation activities through January 2027.

He said the decision to extend the campaign beyond the festive season was informed by the heavy return traffic passing through Oyo State, particularly from the northern parts of the country.

The chairman added that OYRTMA would work with the Park Management System (PMS), the Nigeria Police Force, Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and other law enforcement agencies to ensure coordinated operations and effective traffic management throughout the period.

He also announced the activation of the state’s emergency traffic lines, 615 and 0912 888 8878, urging residents to use them to report traffic emergencies, road obstructions and other traffic-related incidents.

Adesagba called on commercial drivers, private motorists and other road users to embrace the campaign’s message, stressing that road safety was a shared responsibility.

He urged stakeholders to work together to ensure that the Ember Months were marked by safe journeys and joyful celebrations rather than preventable road fatalities.

Speaking on behalf of the Oyo State Chairman of the Park Management System, the deputy chairman, Alhaji Jimoh Tajudeen, appealed to motorists, commercial drivers, transport operators and passengers to support the campaign by obeying traffic regulations and adopting safe road practices.

He emphasised the collective responsibility of all road users, noting that compliance with traffic rules and safety measures was essential to reducing accidents and ensuring safer journeys during the festive period.