LTO: Emergency vehicles, responders not exempted
The Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) has clarified that emergency response vehicles are not exempted from following traffic rules and regulations.
“There are no exemptions in our law for them. It is stated in Republic Act 4136 (Laws Relative to Land Transportation and Traffic Rules) that all motor vehicles must comply with the traffic regulations,” said LTO Chief of Operations Joel Maloloy-on.
Violations and abuses committed by emergency responders on the road were addressed during a meeting held with almost 300 barangay fire volunteers yesterday.
The meeting was led by the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) with the LTO to shed light on the traffic rules and obligations that must be followed when responding to emergencies.
“Ang objective is to save lives man no, [but] while saving lives, you are not exempted also to commit traffic violations, because doing such, we are endangering other lives,” said CCDRRMO head Nagiel Bañacia.
According to Bañacia, the meeting was conducted to debunk assumptions that emergency responders are totally exempted from following traffic rules and from being liable for violations and damages caused.
Bañacia emphasized that emergency vehicles should be assisted by traffic enforcers so that they can get through the road.
The driver makes their own judgment on whether they will run a red light as long as they are not endangering themselves, the people they are saving, and the public, he said.
“Everyone is not exempted from traffic rules. Pero gipiyungan lang ta’s CITOM kay padung man kas alarma. Judgment call na na nila (emergency responders). Pero they must do it safely. Dili ta mag-kiat as if we own the road. As we respond to save lives, it is also incumbent that we prevent to cause another life (fatality),” he said.
Bañacia also said that there have been incidents when ambulance and fire truck drivers would throw objects or bump vehicles whose drivers refuse to move aside when they need to get through.
“The public must give way, oo. Ang regular vehicles are directed to follow the transportation code. But dili dapat i-abuso sa drivers sa aning mga ambulance. All abuses must be stopped. Aw, mubayad sila sa damage. Though LTO is not strict on implementing the traffic rules and they are not strict on violations like counter-flowing, swerving, because they admit nga they acknowledge na emergency responders are rushing to an incident to save lives and properties,” he said.
He said that the emergency responders are aware that LTO is not strict on traffic rules when there are emergencies. However, the responders are not exempted from liabilities.
“In-ani, mao na nay problema karon. Duna na’y liability. Kung mag-traffic diay, kung ang panahon ba, like rush hour, duna’y sunog, nag-traffic, kinahanglan siya mu-counterflow kay kaning ang linya sa traffic ni-abot na og usa ka kilometro, naa nay congestion. Gi-unsa man to pag-resolve now? Ing-ani, while we are responding to emergencies, we must be extra careful, we must be conscious that we are endangering also other lives,” he added.