Motorists told: Drive carefully on Commonwealth Avenue

MANILA, Philippines - A police official said yesterday motorists going through Commonwealth Avenue should still exercise caution even if this major road – formerly known as Metro Manila’s killer road – is much safer now than it was a few years ago.

Hoping to clarify his earlier statement, which may have offended the public, Senior Police Officer 1 Gary Talacay said he did not mean to refer to all those who figure in vehicular mishaps along Commonwealth Avenue as fools.

He said Commonwealth Avenue is indeed better and safer than it was before the city government implemented its Sumusunod sa Batas (SB) Zone program, which imposed a stricter implementation of road rules along the major thoroughfare.

However, Talacay said accidents still happen, especially when there are still those who fail to follow the law to the letter or exercise defensive and more responsible driving.

According to him, even responsible motorists and law-abiding pedestrians will figure in an accident if others are reckless and disobedient.

Quezon City Police District’s traffic chief, Superintendent Rudie Valoria, reported the city government’s SB Zone program has reduced the number of vehicular accidents along the major thoroughfare by more than 50 percent.

From January to May this year, a total of 107 vehicular accidents happened along Commonwealth Avenue, compared to 277 accidents from August to December 2008.

Talacay attributed the decrease to a more aggressive approach in instilling discipline among motorists and pedestrians, which now places the expected average number of vehicular accidents a day at 0.71 percent.

He said his earlier statement about foolishness on the road merely reflect the frustrations of a traffic policeman who still encounters motorists who do not drive carefully enough or are simply not serious about following the law. – Michael Punongbayan