MANILA — Four-wheeled vehicles figures in the most road accidents in Metro Manila in 2024, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said, adding the rising number of road mishaps in the capital is alarming.

MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said that from January to November 2024 alone, total road crashes had already reached 62,723 cases and 332 fatalities.

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Top 3 among the types of vehicles involved in road crashes are four-wheeled vehicles (54%), followed by motorcycles ( 22.03%) and trucks (7.41%) according to MMDA data.

In 2023, MMDA recorded 85,954 road mishaps, of which 352 people died.

MMDA records also showed that fatal incidents involving trucks and motorcycles, as well as cars and motorcycles led to the most fatalities in 2023.

Fifty-two died because of road mishaps involving truck and motorcycle accidents.

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Meanwhile, the fatality rate for pedestrian-truck interactions is particularly high at 16.80% or 21 casualties.

The MMDA believes pedestrians and motorcycle riders continue to be the most vulnerable road users in Metro Manila.

ROADS WITH MOST TRUCK-RELATED ACCIDENTS

MMDA also identified seven major thoroughfares with the most truck-related road crash incidents. 

These are C-5 Road, Commonwealth Avenue, Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, R-10 Road, Quezon Avenue, and Marcos Highway.

Of truck-related road crashes recorded, 2,388 happened on C-5 Road while 829 road mishaps happened on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

CAUSES OF ROAD ACCIDENTS

According to MMDA, the road conditions in these areas could be one of the factors that make accidents more likely.

“Medyo mabibilis ang mga sasakyan diyan — tapos nandiyan din po yung truck lane natin — medyo madilim din po sa lugar…. Kung makikita ninyo kasi yung C-5 medyo hindi siya straight eh. Medyo paliko-liko siya,” MMDA chairman Romando Artes said.

(Vehicles pass through at high speeds, and that's where trucks pass. The area is also not well-lit and the road isn't straight)

For a truckers' group, brake failure — a common reason given for accidents — is not an acceptable excuse.

“Yung nawalan ng preno imposible po 'yun…. May mekanismo po yan….. Hindi puwedeng laging nawalan ng preno,” according to Connie Tinio of the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations.

(When they say their brakes malfunction, that is impossible. There is a mechanism to prevent that. They cannot always say their brakes malfunctioned)

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The Land Transportation Office (LTO) meanwhile said it can identify the actual factors that led to a vehicular accident through forensic investigation using modern equipment.

“Nakikita po nila lahat to, hindi lang po brake ang tinitingnan nila pati axle, pati gears. Of course gulong. So we have tapped into them — their experts to help us investigate the root cause of the accident,” LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II explained.

(We have equipment that looks at all these things, not just brakes. It can examine the axles, and the gears and, of course, the tires)

Automobile Association of the Philippines’ Robby Consunji meanwhile said it would be best to have an independent and trained investigator to identify the real cause of an accident.

“Kailangan itigil na yung haka-haka kung bakit nagkaron ng crash… We can put the blame on specific cause of the incident. Forensic investigation will tell us, overloading ba talga? Kawawa 'yung mga driver, laging sinasabi naidlip, laging sinasabi nawalan ng preno,” Consunji explained.

(We have to end the speculation on road crashes and put the blame on a specific cause. Forensic investigation will tell us if it was overloading. It is the drivers who get the blame. They always say the driver fell asleep or that the brakes failed)

The police Highway Patrol Group said it has its own investigators but the agency doesn’t have the equipment needed for forensic investigations.

“Yung sinasabi ko sir is yung technical expert is nasa LTO po 'yun, hindi po actually sa crime lab po namin,” Police Col. Joel Jucutan, chief of HPG-National Capital Region told ABS-CBN News. 

(That is actually done at the LTO, not at the crime lab)

The MMDA, LTO and other stakeholders agreed that having the right attitude and discipline on the road could be among the solutions to prevent road crash incidents. 

“Sa lahat ng drivers, magbaon ng pasensiya, habaan natin ang patience, lalo na kung lumalapit ang Pasko. Konting disiplina sa kalsada, lahat po tayo, sabi nga po shared responsibility,” Artes reminded the public.

(All drivers should be extra patient especially near Christmas. We all have to show a little road discipline. It is a shared responsibility)