The only organization authorized by law to provide accident reports is the Motor Vehicle Administration, Vehicle Inspection Office, or VIO, Cross River Command’s Akak Eyo, Head of Operations.
In response to the sibling agencies’ overlap in road traffic business operations, Mr. Eyo disclosed the information to the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Calabar.
According to the head of operations, in the event of a traffic accident, the Federal Road Safety, or FRSC, authorities are in charge of cleaning the area and transporting victims to hospitals or morgues, while the Nigeria Police Force’s traffic section responds to the site.
He claimed that since most VIO officials were engineers, it was their job to look into accidents and determine what caused them.
“It is the responsibility of traffic unit officers to request an accident inspection and report in writing to the VIO after everything has been completed.”
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Mr. Eyo went on to say that there were not many traffic accidents in Cross River and that drivers of commercial buses and taxis in particular should drive more cautiously and with less anxiety.
He claims that those who stop in the middle of the road and in unapproved areas to pick up and drop off passengers in an attempt to outsmart other drivers cause traffic jams and opportunities.
He said that was why the agency in the state, through its Director Road Transport Services, Paul Bepeh, was going round public places like markets, parks and religious organisations to emphasise the theme for 2023 which was: “Safety first, drive to survive.”
He said apart from having a duly registered vehicle and valid driver’s licence, every driver was expected to have a first-aid box and four litres of water in his or her boot among other things, to forestall any eventuality on the road and even save lives.
He asserted that one challenge they had was Nigerians seeing VIO as their enemy and when they are flagged down, they get angry.
“All that is expected is for you to stop and submit yourself for inspection which is for your own good and the good of the society.
“When you are cleared you move on but if you are cautioned for a misdemeanor, it is not because the agency hates you,’’ he said.
NAN
