ILOILO – Reckless driving. Human error. Drunk driving. Ineffective or lack of road signs. Road repairs. Mechanical defect. These were the main causes of vehicular accidents in this province, two committees of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) found out during a recent joint committee hearing.
So what should be done?
The committee on public order and safety and the committee on transportation, communication and public utilities gathered the following suggestions:
* strict enforcement by local government units (LGUs) of Republic Act 4136 (Land Transportation and Traffic Code) and local traffic ordinances; this can be done by deploying more Land Transportation Office-deputized traffic personnel on main roads and highways
* put up visible road signs
* orientation/seminar for drivers, including drivers of fire trucks and ambulances
The two committees decided to hold a joint hearing following a series of vehicular accidents in the province, some of them fatal.
One of the resource persons was Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO). They were able to record 387 vehicular accidents between January to March this year, he told SP member June Mondejar, chairman of the committee on public order and safety, and SP member Ramon Sullano, chairman of the committee on transportation, communication and public utilities.
The figures may seemed high but these were actually 32.93 percent lower than year the 577 vehicular accidents in the province in the first three months of 2020, said Gorero.
Sixty percent of the accidents so far this year were due to reckless driving, he revealed.
The vehicular accidents so far this year resulted to property damage (198), physical injuries (167) and homicide (22)./PN
