17th August, 2011
Alhaji Dauda Afolabi, the Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO), Oyo State, has said that a total of 277 vehicles were impounded by his men in July during routine inspection of vehicles.
Afolabi disclosed this in his office on Tuesday in Ibadan while reviewing the agency’s activities for that month.
He said this was an indication that many motorists had defaulted in the regular maintenance of their vehicles and the need to update their particulars and their driving skills.
“The statistics given for the month of July indicate the number of vehicles that contravened the traffic rule.
“These are vehicles that our men found as not being road worthy. In other words, the impounded vehicles are moving hazards.
“They are accidents waiting to happen,†Afolabi said.
According to the VIO chief, the agency’s findings have shown that most of the vehicles plying the roads are in bad condition.
Afolabi noted that many vehicles were rickety due to lack of maintenance.
He explained that a rickety vehicle might not necessarily be a very old car, but that a car without the rear light, head lamp, horn, bad brake system and other necessary safety requirements was an accident waiting to happen.
“Any vehicle that operates with bad vehicle particulars like expired certificate of road worthiness, insurance certificate, stage carriage document and so on are not fit to ply the road because they constitute serious threat,†he said.
Afolabi said that defaulters, oftentimes, had their vehicles impounded and were made to pay penalties depending on the number and gravity of offences committed.
He disclosed that the agency usually took erring motorists to mobile courts and those found guilty in court, were usually fined N2,000 for each offence committed.
He said that at the end of the day, a recalcitrant driver could end up paying as much as N25,000 or even more for contravention.
He, however, said that the primary aim of setting up the vehicle inspection unit by the government was not to generate revenue but to reduce road hazard to the barest minimum.
“We are to ensure that only vehicles that were road worthy plied the roads.
“We want to correct the notion by many people who assume that we are all out to make money for government.
“Why we will not hesitate to fine erring road users, we want to put it straight to the public that our mandate is to ensure that vehicles that are not in proper shape do not ply our roads.
“Again, we are there to ensure that people that are not licenced do not risk their lives and those of others.
“In other words, we do not expect to see people who do not go through the normal driving test to be driving on the road as they constitute nuisance as well as grave hazard to the public.
“Those with expired licences and those with fake papers are also our targets,†the VIO boss said.
Afolabi said the state government could not fold its arms and allow those that were not certified to drive to do so.
He said the VIO in the state had created offices in 10 locations for proper monitoring of road and vehicular activities.
He said apart from poor state of vehicles, other human factors such as overspeeding, overloading, drunkenness, impatience, disrespect to other road users and road signs, could be responsible for accidents.
He, therefore, urged motorists to desist from what he described as any act of omission or commission that could lead to tragedy on the road.
He also urged road users in the state to pay greater attention to safety issues while driving.