President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo lately directed Secretary Ronnie Puno of the Department of the inside and Local state to highten the campaign of the Philippine National Police against drivers of overspeeding automobiles and other perps of traffic rules and regulations.
In reply, Puno immediately directed the PNP’s road Patrol Group ( HPG ) lead by its director, Chief Supt. Orlando Mabutas, to increase its presence on state roads and other major roads and step up its crackdown against traffic law delinquents.
‘Upon the instructions of the President, I have directed Chief superintendent Mabutas of the HPG to step up its campaign against overspeeding motorists, drunk drivers and other delinquents of traffic laws,’ Puno announced.
President Arroyo issued the directive to Puno during the tuesday cabinet meeting in Sarangani province.
From January to March of the present year alone, the HPG has recorded a total of 9,279 vehicular accidents, of which over a third or close to three thousand cases were due to overspeeding.
Puno said the President has voiced alarm over the most recent vehicular mishap involving 2 passenger buses, which collided head-on in Lucena city in the province of Quezon past midnight sunday.
9 people died and forty-one others were injured in that mishap, which happened in the diversion road of the Maharlika road in Quezon.
According to HPG data, passenger buses placed third in the list of cases concerning road accidents, with 991 cases during the January-March period. Cars were involved in the greatest number of traffic accidents with 3,698 cases, followed by motorbikes with 2,529 cases.
Puno observed that most motorists appear to be unaware of the maximum allowable speed limits as prescribed under current laws.
The prescribed maximum permitted speed limits under Republic Act 4136, also known as the Land transportation and Traffic Code are 80 km/hr for passenger cars and motorbikes, and 50 km/hr for vans and buses in open country roads’with no blind corners not closely bordered by habitation.’ On’through’ streets or boulevards clear of traffic with no blind corners, the limits are 40 km/hr for passenger automobiles and bikes and 30 km/hr for trucks and buses.
On city and civil streets with light traffic and not appointed as through streets, the speed limit for autos, motorbikes, vans and buses is thirty km/hr. For crowded streets’approaching intersections at blind corners, passing faculty sections, passing other vehicles which are stationary or for similar threatening circumstances,’ maximum allowable speeds are 30 km/hr for vehicles and motorcycles and 20 km/hr for vans and buses.
Jackie Lester supports the “>Ronnie Puno for Vice President movement.
Pingback: Report of Chinese Automobile Industry under International Financial Crisis, 2009-auto