20% decrease in road accidents noted in January

THE Davao City Police Office – Traffic Enforcement Unit (DCPO-TEU) reported a 20 percent decrease in road accidents in January 2024 alone, compared to December 2023.

Based on the security agency’s latest findings released earlier this week, around 355 road crashes were recorded in January involving at least 682 vehicles.

Of this figure, 38 percent were private-owned vehicles, 18 percent were motorcycles, and 11 percent were heavy construction or wheeler trucks.

Meanwhile, the major cause of road accidents is attributed to human error at 93 percent, followed by driver error at 56 percent, and vehicle defect at seven percent.

On the other hand, most vehicular accidents transpired between 2 and 4 p.m. with at least 16 percent, 15 percent happened between 4 and 6 p.m., and only two percent occurred at 4 to 6 a.m.

For January this year, DCPO-TEU identified the top five high-risk areas in Davao City where road crashes frequently occurred.

Carlos P. Garcia remains the lead with 21 percent, followed by McArthur Highway with 12 percent, Quimpo Boulevard with 5 percent, and JP Laurel and Panacan with 4 percent.

Meanwhile, the DCPO-TEU continues to collaborate with the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) on the strict implementation of the New Speed Limit Ordinance 0270-23 in Davao City, in line with the Executive Order (EO) No. 39 series of 2023.

Both agencies, however, revealed that the new ordinance cannot guarantee the absence of road accidents.

“Kung naa ta’y speed limit, dili nato ma-guarantee nga wala na’y road crash. Mag-depende gyud na sa behavior ug driving habits sa usa ka driver (If we have a speed limit, it still does not guarantee that there won’t be a road crash. It all depends on the behavior and the driving habits of the driver), Dionisio Abude, head of the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) said in a media interview. /