LASTMA impounds twenty-seven (27) commercial and private vehicles over loading violations in Lagos.

Says overloading pose grave dangers not only to the occupants of the offending vehicles but also to other road users.

Decried rampant overloading of commercial buses, private cars and articulated vehicles as blatant disregard for public safety.

LASTMA therefore urges all motorists to adhere strictly to stipulated loading capacities.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has impounded twenty-seven (27) commercial and private vehicles over what it described as “breach of prescribed loading limits and established safety standards.”

The enforcement exercise, executed under the directive of the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, was conducted after repeated warnings issued through multiple public sensitization platforms.

The early-morning, state-wide operation was executed following heightened concerns over the escalating risks posed by overloaded vehicles on major arterial corridors and densely trafficked inner-city routes.

“LASTMA enforcement Officers field assessment exposed a deeply disconcerting pattern wherein motorists particularly operators of commercial vehicles indiscriminately burden their vehicles with assorted goods, including bulky items and perishable commodities, stored indiscriminately within luggage compartments and precariously mounted atop vehicle roofs,” LASTMA said in a statement.

“Such unsafe practices grossly obstruct rearward visibility, destabilise vehicular balance and critically impair a driver’s situational awareness of approaching traffic, especially during overtaking manoeuvres, thereby substantially increasing the probability of avoidable road traffic collisions.”

The General Manager of LASTMA emphasised that vehicular overloading constitutes a serious contravention of the State’s traffic laws, posing grave dangers not only to the occupants of the offending vehicles but also to other road users.

Describing the scenario as “an unsightly and perilous spectacle,” he decried the rampant overloading of commercial buses, private cars and even articulated vehicles with goods and scrap metals in blatant disregard for public safety.

He reaffirmed the Agency’s zero-tolerance stance against all traffic infractions that imperil lives and property, warning that enforcement actions against defaulters will remain sustained, intensified and unequivocally uncompromising.

LASTMA therefore urges all motorists to adhere strictly to stipulated loading capacities, maintain unobstructed visibility at all times and prioritise roadworthiness and safety in their daily operations.

The Agency also urges members of the public to promptly report any commercial or private vehicles found to be in violation of prescribed loading limits via the LASTMA Toll-Free Hotline: 0800-005-27862 to enable swift enforcement and immediate corrective action.

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