Meeting of Minds and Solutions at the Third Road Safety Conference

Metro Manila has a limited network of arterial (major) and radial roads. Depending on the time of the day, all types of vehicles and pedestrians share these roads. Together with misinformation and perhaps blatant disregard of traffic laws by most road users, accidents are common in these areas, and are occurring at an alarming rate. Thankfully, road safety conferences, such as the one held recently by the AAP (Automobile Association Philippines), together with Toyota, and the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) provide the perfect venue in discussing the causes and resolutions for these issues.

The third of a series of road safety conferences remains well-attended by representatives from the public, private and media sector. But it is not a mere social act however; participants are expected to give their assessment and analysis on the current Metro traffic situation, after which, propose some action items that the entities or government agencies concerned may use towards road safety realization.

The long and informative day is a very apolitical one too, which shows only one thing: everyone present that time was willing to set politics aside and focus on making Metro Manila roads one of the safest roads to be in, even though their suggestions meant only a small step for everyone else. Indeed, taking small steps are much more valuable than not taking any steps at all.

Various bits of facts were disclosed that day, ranging from annual death and injury statistics from road accidents, which are 9,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries, respectively, to different laws which happen such as RA 4136 (Motor Vehicle Registration Act) and RA 8794 (Anti-Overloading Law). Also mentioned during the conference was the internationally-recognized Vienna Convention, of which the Philippines is a signatory. Monetary figures were also divulged, like the 4 billion pesos given annually to DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) to maintain a nationwide road network that needs 15 billion pesos in maintenance expenses. This explains why most of Metro roads have yet to see bright light.

Other pieces of information were provided by the members of the media. ABS-CBN Sky Patrol reporter Ricky Velasco cited three major causes of road accidents: reckless driving, drunk driving, and fatigue. Melo Acuna of Radio Veritas, on the other hand, cited the proliferation of poorly-maintained vehicles and imported used vehicles which are not suited for left-hand drive markets like the Philippines as one of the factors affecting road safety. Mr. Robert Suansing of the Confederation of Trucking Association of the Philippines had lots to say about road safety issues concerning trucks, such as the poor conversion to left-hand drive in the case of formerly right-hand drive trucks, poor truck maintenance as evidenced by worn-out tires and brakes, and getting away with the truck ban by reducing the number of tires on double-tire axles. He also cited poor driver screening and education by the truck operators.

The afternoon was the public sector’s turn to speak, started off by Engr. Carlos Mutuc of DPWH. He discussed the different projects lined up for the years to come, such as the erection of different interchanges and expanding the overall Metro Manila road network. But the budgets for these projects have yet to be discussed, according to him, as the budget given to his department is very limited. Last, but not the least, is MMDA Executive Director Angelito Vergel de Dios giving his own side of the situation. Other than jaywalkers and erring motorists, rolling billboards are on the top of his list as road hazards, as it hampers smooth traffic flow by traveling slower than usual. A new concern, however, is the illegal operation of motorcycle riders dubbed as "habal-habal". For a fee, passengers are ferried from Ayala Center in Makati to Fort Bonifacio in Taguig. What makes it illegal, aside from the fact that the motorcycles are not authorized to ferry passengers, is the absence of safety gear especially for the riders.

After all the facts have been presented, the participants were subdivided into groups for a workshop, wherein each group will present their proposed action items to address the concerns. At the end of the day, suggested solutions were continuous driver education, stiffer penalties, and stringent motor vehicle inspection. Road safety, according to the participants, must be started young in school, and must be reinforced by seminars thereafter. Stiffer penalties, meanwhile, will really teach discipline among erring motorists by keeping them aware of their responsibilities when driving. Last, but definitely not the least, a more rigid motor vehicle inspection will vow to weed out rolling coffins plying the Metro streets. With enough private and public sector support, this could not be far from reality, for it is indeed everyone’s goal to relish safe and trouble-free thoroughfares.