Higher fines: A deterrent?

Someone once said “danger never takes a vacation”.  Likewise, another one said “safety never takes a holiday”.  Clearly, both statements give immeasurable emphasis to safety.  So, how important safety really is? 

Safety is the state of being "safe".  It is a condition of being free from danger, injury or risk or on any consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, or any situations which can be considered non-desirable.  This can take in the mold of being protected from exposure to something that causes health or economical losses. It can include protection of people or of possessions.  These are categorized into normative safety, substantive safety and perceived safety. 

Of these three types, “perceived safety”, which refers to the “level of comfort of users”, horribly experiences numerous lapses.  These are serious lapses that do not only lead to injuries but untimely deaths.  The typical examples are traffic signals, traffic regulatory and directional signs.  Supposedly, having these devices or signs will give us perceptions that the roads or intersections are safe.  More often, however, these signals or signs are ignored.  Or, in a few instances, traffic signals malfunction. Consequently, accidents happen. 

Recently, to protect the riding public, the Land Transportation Office and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board jointly issued an administrative order that exacts higher fines and penalties for violators. While this is generally addressed to all, jeepney drivers were up in arms against it.  This is not surprising though.  Jeepney drivers are not saints and have the worst record in terms of traffic violations that more often led to untimely deaths. 

Certainly, increased fees have no effect to the disciplined drivers.  Even if the penalty for entering in a “NO ENTRY” road (probably, because it’s a one-way street) is pegged at P10,000.00 per violation, such amount is meaningless to law-abiding drivers.  Thus, in evaluating these drivers demands’ appropriateness, let’s look into them vis-à-vis our concern on safety.   Without setting aside their past misdemeanors, we shall look into convenience, safety, efficiency and environmental concerns.

On convenience, is the present transport system (use of jeepneys) acceptable? Absolutely, the answer is a big NO.  Despite being holders of certificates of public convenience, these jeepney drivers have less regard on such responsibility.  To recall, despite the 120-day suspension of the recent order’s implementation, the jeepney drivers went ahead with their planned protest or transport strike. 

Consequently, some classes were suspended.  Some workers arrived late and others went on leave.  As the day ended, long queues in several intersections were ordinary sights. Carbon and other satellite markets’ crowds were relatively scarce as most diehard patrons were immobilized.   Sadists that they are, these ruffians rejoiced in all those inconveniences we were in.  They were trumpeting here and there about how successful the transport strike was. They rejoiced without realizing that in doing so, they dreadfully pulled the school children a day back to illiteracy and further impoverished the families of ordinary employees who were not able to earn for a day.  Such strike, like many others before that, did not only bring us inconceivable discomforts.  It also dealt us financial losses brought about by economic inactivity. 

On safety, is the current jeepney transport system desirable?  Definitely, the answer is a big flat ZERO.  In the drivers’ race for more passengers to get the front seats, safety concerns have been left in the back seat.  They don’t recognize designated jeepney stops.  They load and unload passengers anywhere on the streets.  More often, passengers had to squeeze themselves through a phalanx of vehicles to get to the sidewalk where they could be safer.  They run and elude racing vehicles just to get a ride on jeepneys that are halting at the middle of the road.  On efficiency, is the present situation at par?  No way, it is the most inefficient.  With their sheer number alone the streets are already clogged.  Factor in the hardheadedness of the drivers, traffic is moving at snail-pace.  In fact, more often, this resulted to huge traffic jams.  Consequently, commuters are more often missing their appointments or are reporting to their work or classes very late.  On environmental safety issues, is the present condition sound?  With this huge number of smoke-belchers, a cleaner air isn’t possible.  This is simple arithmetic.  The fewer the engines emitting smoke the cleaner the atmosphere will be.  In fact, during their strike, the sky was clearer and the smell was a lot better.  Needless to say, with fewer fuel tanks to fill, oil consumption was thousands of liters fewer. 

In all these apparent neglect for safety by the jeepney drivers, taking them out of the streets should have been the best alternative.  Rendering that option impossible, the general public should join hands with the LTO and LTFRB by supporting this increase in penalties.  Though wallet-busting, if that is the only way that we can deter violations and keep our roads safe, then, so be it.  One caveat though, such increased fines, if not monitored and supervised effectively, may just make our traffic law enforcers expensive.

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