THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said it would remind owners and drivers of trucks and haulers to adhere to road safety measures and discipline amid recent fatal road incidents in Quezon City and Paranaque.
MMDA chief Romando Artes said owners, drivers and their maintenance people need to be told to ensure the roadworthiness of their vehicles at all times to prevent road crashes.
“We will remind them to tell their members to properly maintain their vehicles, ensure they are in good condition, and for their drivers to have road discipline,” Artes said in a television interview.
Artes said the agency will also deploy personnel to conduct surprise inspections of trucks and haulers, especially amid the holiday rush when more vehicles are plying the roads.
Data released by the MMDA last May through the Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) revealed an alarming rate of approximately 92,583 road crashes annually over the past few decades, resulting in an average of 410 deaths annually.
Among the fatalities, 51 percent were drivers, 36 percent were pedestrians, and 13 percent were passengers.
From January to September this year, more than 55,000 vehicular accidents were recorded in Metro Manila.
Artes earlier said the MMDA aims to reduce road crash fatalities by 35 percent by 2028.
Last Thursday, four people died and more than 30 others were injured when a truck driver lost control of his vehicle due to a faulty brake, causing the truck to plow into other vehicles on the Katipunan-Aurora flyover in Quezon City.
Last Saturday, the driver of a wing van also lost control of his vehicle, causing it to plow through five other vehicles at Skyway At-Grade Southbound in Paranaque.
The incident led to the death of one person while several others were injured.
