Last Sunday night, four people were killed when the car they were riding was hit by a monstrous dump truck in Olongapo City. As can be gleaned from the photograph of the accident, the truck seems to have “eaten” the car as the latter was found underneath the former’s head. Taking it from the shot that portrays the gravity of the impact, no human life would be spared from the incident.
As per investigation, the victims who sustained severe head and body injuries were pronounced dead on arrival. They just came from Mariveles, Bataan for a formal wedding proposal or “pamamanhikan”. Said wedding would not push through because of the tragic mishap.
The driver of the truck meanwhile, said he had lost control of the vehicle he was driving which made it occupy the opposite lane, eventually hitting head-on the victims’ car. He said that he was not feeling well when the incident transpired.
On November 1, two tricycles were hit by a pick-up truck in Calamba, Laguna. Four occupants of the tricycles instantly expired due to the intense collision. As per police report, the pick-up truck overtook a vehicle and occupied the opposite lane and hit oncoming tricycles.
Investigators revealed that the driver of the pick-up was drunk or was under the influence of alcohol. This perhaps resulted into his imprudence that he went the other lane to overtake.
Last November 6, four young male persons aged twenty one years old, were instantaneously killed when the car they were riding collided with a cargo truck in Antipolo City. The car hit the rear portion of the truck which seems that the driver of the car miscalculated the proximity of the huge vehicle in front of him.
Prior to the collision, there was a captured video inside the car showing how fast the car was. With due respect to the driver (R.I.P.), it appeared as if he was driving a sports car on a raceway. The incident went viral on social media.
As per police investigation, the victims were under the influence of alcohol. The incident happened at an unholy hour of the night, thus the place of the accident was dark and visibility of the surroundings was not that much as compared during day time.
On May 27, 2013, the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act was approved into law. It imposes a penalty of imprisonment and fine for those who are driving any motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Under the law, the penalty is increased when someone died or injured or some property incurred damage as a result of an accident due to drunk or drugged driving.
The law is not useless but merely ignored by many drivers. They disregard the same even if they have the simple awareness that alcohol and driving should not be mixed. Drivers, before handling the steering wheel, should do some self-assessment whether they are capable of driving or not before accidents do happen. While we cannot avoid some accidents, we can perhaps minimize the chances of meeting one with proper discipline and strict regard of the law.
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