As we all know the 'ember' months are September, October, November, December. As the year begins to wind down with what have come to be known as the "ember months," concerns, especially over increase in the rate of accidents and security breaches, normally heighten, but if necessary precautions are taken by all concerned, rather than tragedies, year 2013 would end and the new year will begin with people safe, secure and rejoicing across the country.

The fears that come with these 'ember months' - September, October, November and December - are founded, to the extent that statistics have shown that more road accidents, fire outbreaks, robberies, frauds and other crimes and disasters occur around this time than at other time of the year.

These tragedies are usually fall-outs of the frenzy into which people drive themselves in efforts to 'make it big,' in time for a lavish celebration of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Many want to return to their villages or communities from the cities with flashy cars, others want to make enough money to start or finish building projects, while yet others focus on organising elaborate wedding ceremonies, taking chieftaincy titles or being made chief launchers at fund-raising programmes where they would donate huge sums of money.

To make enough money to meet these expectations, therefore, some people resort to all manner of criminal activities while others, like taxi, luxury bus drivers and pilots stretch themselves so much that they become accidents waiting to happen.

This period also coincides with the dry season when fire accidents are common. There have been incidents of bush fires, fires caused by fire crackers carelessly thrown around by children, as well as domestic fires that wreck havoc on homes. All these can be prevented by public education on the hazards of bush burning, enlightenment on the ban on the use of fire crackers and by proper equipment of the fire fighting services to make them ever ready to speedily tackle any fire outbreaks.

This season, according to statistics, also records an increase in road accidents caused by several factors. Apart from the physical state of drivers, especially those that ply the inter-state routes, the state of their vehicles, the condition of the roads and the preparedness of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other agencies of government, are part of factors that must be addressed if the carnage on the roads is to be reduced.

Thank you!