HPG assures road safety in CAR

ROAD crashes remain prevalent in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Lieutenant Colonel

Joe Wilson Denamorca, Highway Patrol Group ( HPG- CAR) chief noted a decrease in road crash this year with 919 from January to August compared to the same period in 2019.

“This number, however, is lower than the 1,829 incidents in 2019 largely due to the quarantine measures since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic that prevented people from traveling,” Denamorca said.

Denamorca added terrain in the Cordillera remain a problem among motorists plying the various routes in the region.

To address road

crashes in the region, HPG- CAR launched ‘HPG CARES’ entailing random check – up of vehicles.

During a test run August 26, it was found only 39 of the 109 vehicles randomly inspected in Baguio passed the 10-point inspection for roadworthiness while 46 out of 120 passed during the September 3 inspection.

British National Mark Ingram, a retired from the military, volunteering with HPG as chief implementer of the program said, the checking of headlights, tail lights, break/ reverse, left and right signal light and hazard lights; gauges, door handles and locks; horn, mirror, wipers and washers; tires and spare wheel nuts; and basic tools and early warning devices are the 10 areas that were inspected.

“These are the things that must be checked every week to assure the safety of the vehicle. The most common faults found were worn out tires and lack of brake light, tools, and early warning devices, with private vehicles having the most violations,” Ingram explained.

Denamarca said that during the inspection, there were no citation tickets issued, but a reminder for the vehicle owner or driver to ensure compliance.

“Although no citation tickets were issued during the inspection, a reminder for the vehicle owners or drivers were given to ensure compliance aside from reminders on the importance of roadworthy vehicles that were emphasized during the test run. The contact information of the driver or owner is taken and we call to ask if they have already complied to remind them of the safety measure because we want them to correct the faults that is why we call them,” Denamorca added.