Road killed

After years and so much effort made to promote “road safety,” it feels like things have become worse than before.

Some say it’s just social media delivering the bad news faster and recycling it a thousand times. Others think it’s simply algorithm that gives you more of what you click. 

There is also the possibility that many travelers from Metro Manila using Waze or Google Maps end up on the same highways or toll ways, on the same dates going north or south and ending up having the shared experience of accidents.

However, we analyze the numerous vehicular accidents over the Holy Week as well as regular weekend traffic out of Metro Manila, it is almost a given that a major mishap or collision will take place, not including the standard motorcycle spills and tumbles.

The popular sentiment among netizens is that “Kamote” or “Kargadong” drivers (stupid, reckless or drug-using driver) cause most of the accidents. I myself initially thought that we all overlook the damage caused by “newbies” or beginner drivers who know how to operate a vehicle but don’t have enough experience and guidance to drive along congested, high-speed highways and are not mindful of vehicles piling up behind them. 

By God’s grace, I realized that the primary fault and responsibility for deteriorating road safety belongs to law enforcement agencies such as PNP, regulatory bodies like LTO and LTFRB and the DOTr and local governments.

Road safety is not just something to be promoted but must be enforced. Enforcement requires physical presence that is seen, felt, recognized and respected, feared even.

Road safety is not about sending out press releases and holding press conferences, or FB posts declaring that the LTO, PNP, etc., will deploy several thousand police personnel because of the expected Holy Week surge. Road safety is an ongoing concern that is implemented 24/7 and not just on special holidays.

If we want road safety and driver discipline, all traffic laws and rules must be pre-emptive by way of public information, signage validated by warnings and actual arrests that are shown and shared. Classic example is the Bus Lane system on EDSA that should be done on all roads for all drivers. Correct traffic engineering is also mandatory.

Traffic rules and regulations must be implemented before they can be obeyed. You can have all the laws and all the rules but if nobody implements them or enforces them, what and who is actually disobeying or breaking the law?

If vehicles such as jeepneys, trucks and tricycles don’t go through inspection and their drivers randomly checked for license and registration, how can we expect drivers to respect and obey the law? If there are no weigh bridges to check on overloading, why are we debating over lethal accidents involving cargo trucks?

Consider this: “Where there is no law, there is no sin” – Romans 4:15. But what good is the law if there is no one who enforces it? If our law enforcement officials like the PNP, regulatory officers in the LTO, LTFRB and DOTr do not enforce the law, are not seen in position or in place enforcing laws, then they are guilty by omission and first among the guilty.

If officials are serious about road safety, saving lives and, the most important of all, discipline, I encourage them to statistically compare the number of vehicles on the road daily to the number of traffic tickets issued.

Then conduct an honest to goodness survey of public sentiment about how strictly law enforcers do their job, what they seriously lack or fail to do and what is the general impression of drivers regarding law enforcers and traffic enforcers.  

The public impression is that law enforcers and police officers prefer to stay in their airconditioned cars, offices and malls. Even veteran cops complain that new recruits avoid the hot and sweaty beat patrol.    

What makes things worse is the apparent and systemic “ignorance of the law” and a prevailing policy that “someone” must be charged for an accident prior to a determination of guilt i.e. “reckless imprudence.”

 This decades-long anomaly came out during a recent Senate investigation into why the PNP and the MMDA automatically charge a driver with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, even if they were just parked, had right of way or were on the right lane when a drunk or reckless driver slammed into another vehicle and killed themselves.

 One of the officers shared that it was a practice to charge and therefore detain someone before referring the case to the prosecutor’s office which would determine if there was a basis for charging that person or holding them liable for damages.

 This is classic Pontius Pilate handwashing and passing the buck. The parties and the prosecutors are left with the problem, settlement and paperwork, even if one party was totally innocent of any criminal act or injury!

The MMDA to this day insists on No Contact Apprehension in the guise of modernization, applying technology and minimizing bribery. The problem is the offender or violator only finds out months later, having no memory of the event and, in some cases, it turns out to be questionable apprehensions.

 Once upon a time, MMDA enforcers “got no respect” until they partnered with cops and showed motorists that they had the authority and were serious about enforcing traffic rules. The PNP-Highway Patrol Group were once feared for being strict with no exemptions. Their reputation, however, has been tarnished by all those wang-wang escorts of politicians and businessmen.

Don’t blame Kamotes or Filipinos as lacking in discipline. The authorities are the root cause of it all. Let us throw blame at the right party.