Higher risks in driving during the pandemic

Since the pandemic has affected virtually all aspects of our daily lives, it’s not surprising that it too affected how people drive and how the risks of driving have increased.

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down the country last year, the roads emptied out as many people were forced to stay at home. But some who got behind the wheel have become unaccustomed to the more open roads and lesser traffic while some have resorted to risky behavior.

Who can forget the unfortunate incident between an ambulance and a bus in one of the intersections in the Reclamation Area? In 2020, too many accidents happened, too many to mention.  Too many that a Cebu City Councilor had to re-pass an ordinance, reminding motorists of the speed limits in the Metro.

Even so, more motorists continued to break the law. Soon it would be the Transcentral Highway that would be the in the spotlight with a string of deaths and injuries. The death of a family of four in a motorcycle was particularly the most shocking after they were hit by a Mini Dump Truck that had lost its brakes.

Fast forward to today and the outcome is grim. In the US, National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) has logged an increase in road accidents in 2020 and most of these accidents were due to reckless driving and driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. 

Here in the Metro, I could not find statistics in the net except for a report that confirms my hunch that road accidents are increasing and more fatal in 2020.  According to Cebu City Transportation Office’s spokesperson, Paul Gotiong, the number of vehicular accidents in the first half this year is a ‘bit alarming.’ Gotiong attributes it to the non-observance of the speed limits, with roads having less traffic.

This is after the Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said there was a total of 1,453 recorded accidents in the city from January to June 2021.

According to the TEU, there is an average of 240 accidents per month, with the month of May logging the highest number at 278. TEU also reported that at least four individuals died on the spot out of these accidents in the first six months.  This is just Cebu City, not even the entirety of the Metro.

Just two weeks ago, a Korean National who reportedly overtook in the Maguikay Overpass and caused a big accident, forcing off a Prime Mover off the concrete railings of the overpass, as the driver took evasive action. The Korean Lady Driver was reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

Despite the quarantine measures like the curfews and liquor ban, some violators are still caught driving under the influence of alcohol. Sadly, they are only apprehended after they have caused an accident.

Here’s another silly accident that happened the other day. I was also stuck in early morning traffic after a Multicab apparently decided to overtake in the two-lane Archbishop Reyes overpass and went head-on with an incoming bus. The overpass had to be closed for almost an hour.

There is no study in the Philippines that points to the pandemic as the source of the recklessness of the drivers but in the US, they made a study in 2020 after fatal accidents also went up. A concoction of open roads, recklessness, and the pandemic burnout that leads to the use of alcohol and/or drugs is the leading cause of the fatal accidents in the US. It’s probably the same here in the Philippines.

It's baffling though how some drivers can counterflow in two lane overpasses, let alone seeing an incoming truck. Yes, maybe the effects of the lockdown have taken their toll on some of us drivers. But it’s also extremely frustrating to see people adding to the stress compounded already by this pandemic.