The Senate has passed the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Amendment Bill, 2026, proposing sweeping changes to Nigeria’s road traffic laws, including a ₦50,000 fine for anyone convicted of hawking, trading or preaching inside commercial vehicles.

 

The bill, now awaiting presidential assent, also introduces significantly stiffer penalties for offences such as drunk driving, reckless driving, speeding, traffic light violations and refusal to cooperate with FRSC officials during roadside breath tests.

 

One of the most debated provisions of the legislation makes it an offence to hawk, trade or preach inside commercial buses. Under the proposed law, offenders will be liable, upon conviction, to a ₦50,000 fine.

 

Lawmakers said the measure is intended to eliminate distractions capable of compromising the safety of drivers and passengers, arguing that activities inside moving commercial vehicles have increasingly contributed to unsafe road conditions.

 

The amendment also empowers the FRSC to enforce roadside breath tests on motorists reasonably suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating substances. Drivers who refuse to cooperate with officers conducting such tests risk a ₦50,000 fine, six months’ imprisonment, or both.

 

The bill raises the penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from the existing ₦5,000 to ₦100,000, with offenders also facing up to two years’ imprisonment or both penalties.

 

In addition, motorists who disobey traffic lights, road signs, pavement markings and other traffic control devices will face a ₦100,000 fine if the bill is signed into law.

 

Speed limit violations, which previously attracted a ₦5,000 fine, will now carry a ₦100,000 penalty, while reckless driving will attract a ₦100,000 fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both.

 

The amendment comprehensively reviews the FRSC Act by revising penalties for 52 traffic offences, a move lawmakers say is necessary to strengthen enforcement, improve compliance with traffic regulations and reduce the alarming rate of road crashes across the country.

 

If assented to by the President, the legislation will mark one of the most far-reaching overhauls of Nigeria’s road traffic enforcement regime in recent years.