Taking photos at accident scenes worrisome, says FRSC

The Federal Road Safety Corps and a non-governmental organisation, Health Emergency Initiative have decried what they described as the poor attitude of Nigerians to road accidents and other emergency situations in Nigeria.

Speaking at a training organised by HEI for first responders in Lagos, the Lagos Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Hyginus Omeje, said smartphones use by many Nigerians to take pictures and make videos of accident victims for social media had become a sad practice.

Omeje, represented by a deputy route commander and an officer of the public enlightenment department of the command, Mala Jesutomipe, said, “Many a time, when people get to crash scenes, the first thing they want to do is to be the first person to take a picture or make a video. You would see many people there not rendering help but making it difficult for the first responders to have access to accident victims.

“Would you rather get to an accident scene, watch and shout than render little assistance to sustain the victims before the paramedics or professionals arrive to handle the situation?

“An unconscious person might just need cardiopulmonary resuscitation to come back to life. Death doesn’t take time; it is in seconds and if you don’t take charge of the golden minute or hour, anything can happen. I think Nigerians need to change their attitude to crash scenes.”

The Executive Director of HEI, Pascal Achinine, said the programme was aimed at promoting behavioural change, adding that a positive attitude towards accidents and emergency situations could reduce fatality by 75 per cent with support from the Nigeria Police and other relevant agencies.