Traffic incidents in Davao City down by 44%

TRAFFIC incidents for the first half of the year decreased by 44.15 percent to 4,325 from January until June this year compared to the 7,744 from the same period this year, a traffic official said.

Superintendent Ernesto Castillo, chief of the Davao City Police Office-Traffic Group (DCPO-TG), said on Thursday, August 3, that their data showed a significant reduction of 3,419 or equivalent to 44.15 percent in the road incidents citywide.

This is attributed to the stringent implementation of traffic laws by traffic officers.

In 2017, the figure included a total of 307 minor injuries and 70 serious injuries.

The data also recorded 31 fatalities and a total of 1,840 damage to properties with a total of 2,231 overall injured persons.

Meanwhile, since the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code and RA 10913 or the Anti-Distracted Driving Act (Adda) last July 13 in the city, they already apprehended a total of seven persons for using mobile cellphones while onboard their vehicle.

Along with Adda, they also implemented RA 1066 or the Children's Safety on Motorcycles Act of 2015 wherein traffic officers caught 11 violators.

Castillo said that the low number of apprehensions was due to the increased awareness of motorists in Davao City.

DCPO-TG vowed to continue performing their mandate to maintain the safety of motorists and pedestrians.