Lagos State agencies are warning motorists against reckless driving through the ember months, the busy September to December period when travel and traffic climb sharply ahead of the festive season.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, known as LASTMA, said earlier this month it would run a 24 hour traffic operation across the state. On Tuesday, the Lagos State Safety Commission took the same message to Ikorodu Garage as part of the 2026 Lagos Road Safety Week.
What LASTMA is doing in the ember months
LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki said the agency will focus on illegal parking, indiscriminate loading and offloading, road obstructions and broken down vehicles. He warned against speeding, reckless overtaking, driving against traffic and other practices that worsen congestion.
He said LASTMA would work more closely with the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Ambulance Service, the fire service and transport unions on traffic control, emergency response and accident evacuation.
Motorists, especially commercial drivers and operators of trucks and tankers, were urged to obey traffic rules and take extra care. Those going long distances should check their brakes, tires, lights and other key parts before setting out.
Residents can report crashes, breakdowns, obstructions and other traffic incidents to LASTMA through its toll free number, 3367, so officers can respond faster and clear roads sooner.
Safety Commission and FRSC join in
Fekoya Emma, head of operations at the Federal Road Safety Corps Lagos sector command, stood in for the sector commander at the Ikorodu Garage walk. Emma urged strict obedience to traffic rules and more care behind the wheel, noting that many of the risks on Lagos roads can be reduced by drivers’ own choices.
The commission’s campaign warned that reckless conduct in the closing weeks of the year puts lives and property in danger.
Why the ember months worry road safety officials
Officials call the period high risk because more people travel, shop and visit family, which puts more vehicles on the road, including tired drivers on long journeys.
Numbers from past years show the stakes. The Federal Road Safety Corps recorded 353 crashes in Lagos between January and August 2023 that killed 79 people and injured 603 others.
Nationwide, the corps counted 2,805 crashes between September and December 2017 that killed 1,602 people, a figure it cited at the time when launching an ember months campaign.
Those figures are old, and the agencies’ announcements gave no crash totals for 2026.
That matters, because a warning is easier to ignore without numbers. Motorists respond to rules they believe will be enforced, and to risks they can see.
Roadworks add to the pressure. On the Lekki Epe Expressway, officials said repairs on the final stretch would start this month, and they complained that thieves keep stealing road signs.
Lagos has the agencies, the hotline and the campaigns. What it needs most is drivers who slow down, stay in lane, obey signals and treat every journey as one that must end safely for everyone.
