When
Mr. Victor Idam, his wife and three others left their home in an
ash-coloured Nissan Primera car for Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital,
they had no premonition that the journey which started on a joyous
note, would end in a disaster.
The
couple and their three companions who hailed from Afikpo North Local
Government Area, were involved in a ghastly auto-crash which claimed
their lives, leaving two others with minor injuries.
The
crash, which was a head-on collision with a trailer, occurred at about
3.45 p.m. at Berger Junction along the Ishiagu – Afikpo Road.
The
deceased couple who were members of Deeper Life Bible Church were
riding in a Nissan Primera with registration number UML 250 AA when it
(car) collided with a yellow-coloured Mack Trailer with registration No.
APP 215 XP (pictured).
A
source close to the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, in Ebonyi State
told Vanguard Metro on condition of anonymity that the crash was caused
by over-speeding. He advised road users to desist from over-speeding on
the smooth-surfaced Ishiagu/Afikpo road.
Another
eyewitness attributed the crash to the carelessness of the driver of
the trailer. The source said that the accident occurred when the
conductor of the trailer was trying to take over from his driver while
the vehicle was still in motion.
“The
accident was very terrible; in fact, those who came to rescue the
victims had to force the doors open before the victims were brought out.
I learnt that the conductor was trying to take over from the driver
while on steering. Before their death, the couple were resident in
Umuahia. The wife worked with the Education Board in Abia, while the
husband who is graduate of Ebonyi State University, EBSU, Abakaliki
worked with a media outfit located in Port Harcourt. He was a presenter
with Deeper Life Satellite Television,” the source explained.
The
State Coordinator, Special Marshal RF 9.2 Nigeria, Dr. Henry Urochukwu
who spoke on the accident, advised government to make the teaching and
learning of safety education mandatory in primary and secondary schools.
“If
we start on time to talk about safe driving from our primary and
secondary schools, it helps the situation. That accident that happened
at Ishiagu was very pathetic; learning how to drive is not just it, you
need to know about the maintenance of the vehicle among other
requirements.
“In
this case, we must look at both human and environmental factors before
we can accurately discuss the reasons behind that accident. If a driver
is not conversant with the road, accident may occur. Note that the road
may be well tarred but accident may occur due to poor lighting of the
road at night. If a driver does over 100 kilometres per hour, it is over
speeding. The psychological disposition of a driver matters a lot
during driving,” he said.
Continuing,
Dr. Urochukwu asked a lot of rhetorical questions: “We need to look at
the medical history of the driver to ascertain whether he had had a
heart attack. What is his psychological disposition to driving? Is he an
epileptic patient? Is the driver tired after driving for about 17
hours? Is the person prone to risk taking? Does he have a pulse for
over-speeding; does he have a defective judgement while driving; does he
spend time quarrelling with another road user instead of focusing on
his lane? Does he have a poor perception of his or her environment? It
is a very complex issue but these are the factors we need to put into
consideration.”
VM
learnt that the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at a
mortuary in Uturu, Abia State while the injured victims are currently
receiving treatment in hospital. READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/48578.html
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