Security is being tightened at ports and bus depots as the school summer break starts and Holy Week approaches. It’s a season for vacations and family reunions – and also a season for overloading ferries and mass transport vehicles. Buses and jeepneys with drivers working overtime are prone to accidents, especially when the drivers take drugs to stay awake on long-haul trips.
Driving problems are compounded by the cavalier attitude of certain transport operators toward passenger safety. Buses and jeepneys are just as poorly maintained as the many “floating coffins” that still ply the country’s waters. Passenger manifests are often inaccurate, making it difficult to identify fatalities and the missing in maritime accidents.
Government authorities add to the problem through the lax enforcement of transport safety rules and failure to install sufficient road safety facilities including warning signs and sturdy guard railings in sharp bends.
Last Sunday afternoon, a bus plunged into a ravine in Ternate, Cavite from the Pinagpatayan Bridge. Police said the driver of the JAC Liner bus had veered to avoid an incoming Toyota Revo. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but 31 passengers, including six Japanese, were injured. The accident was just the latest in a long string involving buses jumping off cliffs all over the country. Most of the accidents have been traced to faulty brakes on poorly maintained vehicles.
Transport authorities cannot inspect every public utility vehicle in the country for roadworthiness. But operators can be compelled to show more concern for passenger safety through various sanctions that are already provided for in transport rules. Transport operators who want to stay in business for the long term should also realize that it is in their interest to maintain their vehicles properly and instill discipline in their drivers. Operators themselves should take the initiative in making passenger safety the foremost concern in their business. “Have a safe trip” should not just be a polite wish in these islands.