Increasing number of motorcycle accidents in Iligan alarms police

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines – Police authorities in Iligan called on the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to go stricter on the issuance of driving licenses, especially to motorcycle drivers, noting most of the road accidents in the city were due to ignorance of traffic rules.

Iligan City police director Colonel Dominador Estrada cited data culled for a month and 22 days which showed 77% of road accidents in the city involved motorcycles driven by people who were mostly clueless about traffic laws and rules.

Of the 410 accidents recorded in Iligan during the period, 317 involved motorcycle drivers, said Estrada.

The data of the Iligan police as of August 23, he said, indicated an alarming uptrend in the number of motorcycle accidents in Iligan.

“In most cases, they did not follow traffic rules. Many don’t even know what the rules are. Eventually, they collided with other vehicles,” he said.

Estrada said Iligan’s roads have become busier because of the increasing number of vehicles, “and then we see these motorcycle drivers maneuvering, crisscrossing, and squeezing into every small space they could find just to get ahead.”

Data showed that drunk driving has also become prevalent among motorists, including motorcycle drivers, in Iligan, police said.

Estrada said the Iligan police would ramp up a campaign against erring motorists, especially motorcycle drivers, and launch a fresh traffic education program in Iligan to bring the number of road accidents down.

“We will be doubling our efforts to implement traffic rules and regulations. We’re going to be very strict,” he said.

But Estrada said the LTO should complement the Iligan police campaign, pointing out that it starts with the issuance of driving licenses.

The Iligan police have started setting up checkpoints with personnel tasked to keep an eye on traffic violations.

LTO-Iligan chief Monadato Mangadang said the problem was more on the lack of road discipline.

“These days, one can have a motorcycle if he has P1,500 to P2,000 as a downpayment for a brand new unit. I can’t blame those who want to own motorcycles, but they need to be instilled with traffic discipline,” Mangadang said.

He said the new requirement for license applicants to take driving courses first before they can legally drive should be enough to ensure that motorists know the rules.

“The problem is, we can’t control misbehaving motorists. It all boils down to their behavior,” Mangadang said. – Rappler.com