Traffic accident victims urged to be vigilant

Getting into any auto accident can be a daunting experience for all involved. But what about victims of the not-so-uncommon hit-and-run calamity? Some will simply be hard-pressed to find any redress in such situations.

This, according to Senior Superintendent Calvin Allen, head of the Police Traffic Division, is the sad reality for those who were not fortunate to procure the registration number on the vehicle before its driver has fled the scene.

“One of the first and foremost things for you to get is the registration number of the vehicle,” he said. “Once you have done that, you are in a bargaining position meaning that you now have something – even if you don’t have the make and colour of the vehicle – to make a report.

The report now forms a part of an investigation.

“It is difficult when the registration number is not got. When you are hit by a vehicle and it is gone, you are in a very limited bargaining position if I should put it that way,” the senior officer said. “These days, you have to go up close to a vehicle to determine if it is a Corolla or otherwise,”

Allen further stated that in the absence of a registration number, information can be used along with a statement from the person to give the police that authority to act.

“In other situations where you can give a description of the vehicle, the time it happened, where it happened, we have something called an all-oints bulletin that is issued by the Police Emergency Communication Centre to all police stations and units to be on the lookout for a vehicle,” he said.