LAND Transportation Office-Davao (LTO-Davao) regional director Neil Cañedo said four-wheeled vehicles and motorcycles remain among the most frequently involved in road accidents.
Cañedo, in a media interview on Monday, November 6, at City Hall Drive, said that the majority of accidents involve these types of vehicles, particularly since motorcycles constitute 70 percent of the vehicles on the region's roads.
“Mao nang intensify gyud natu ang campaign about sa pagpasabot sa atoang motorista nga murespeto pod gyud sa atoang mga motorcycle of course lalo na sa atoang bicycle lanes (This is why we are intensifying our campaign to educate motorists about respecting motorcycle lanes, especially our bicycle lanes),” Cañedo said.
Some incidents involving motorcycles include illegal U-turns, unauthorized loading, and obstructions. He said that many times, these infractions occur due to a lack of driver knowledge.
Cañedo said that it is a violation for motorcycles to use bicycle lanes, as these lanes are designated for bicycles.
The exception is within broken white lines, where they can encroach to unload passengers, but parking is not permitted.
He underscored that most vehicular accidents are the result of human error, as indicated in police reports.
Earl Franz Poria-Nacario, a logistics officer at CMS Elevator and Escalator Maintenance Services with nine years of experience as a driver, said in a phone interview with SunStar Davao that he has observed accidents often happen because drivers fail to use their signal lights when making a turn.
Nacario added that he learned from an LTO seminar that it's crucial to activate your signal light three meters before making a turn.
“Importante gyud na musunod ta sa balaod trapiko sa gi takna nga speed limit ug importante gyud nga maka seminar ta aron kabalo ta sa mga bawal sa kalsada ug maiwasan ang disgrasya (It is important that we follow traffic rules, like obeying the speed limit, and it's important for drivers to attend seminars so they know the road violations and can avoid accidents),” Nacario said.
In November, the LTO is observing Road Crash Awareness Month, in line with Proclamation No. 8, signed on October 28, 2019, by then-Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. The proclamation aimed to prevent road crashes, particularly those involving children.
Cañedo said that one of their programs involves teaching students in grades one to four from remote areas how to safely cross roads in the city and use pedestrian lights.
The LTO is intensifying efforts to enforce traffic laws in the city, aiming for greater compliance from drivers and pedestrians, as some rules tend to be overlooked. RGP