LTO: Time to limit the speed of buses and jeepneys

Though I didn’t get to actually see (I only saw it from newspaper photos) those statues that they placed during the 64th anniversary of the Talisay Landing, they did not truly depict the Talisay Landing. I would like to believe that this was merely copied from the statues of the landing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Red Beach in Tacloban City.

The Talisay Landing was an amphibious one, meaning LVTs (Landing Vehicle Tracked) were used to land into the beach. The US troops came down from behind these vehicles using it as shields from potential enemy fire. They never walked like Gen. MacArthur in Talisay so I hope that the sculptor would come up with a new one that truly represents history, instead of coping the landing in Tacloban!

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That huge accident last Saturday that happened in the town of Naga between a mini-bus and a ten-wheeler truck is an accident whose lessons we Cebuanos never cared to learn nor even cared to solve through all the years that we’ve seen accidents on our national roads. Because this particular accident caused the lives of 14 men and women, including a young girl, it got the attention of nationwide newspapers and nationwide tv networks. But when the news of this accident dies down we will go back to our usual stupid selves. Once more, drivers will drive recklessly until the next accident happens.

Indeed, such accidents are a vicious cycle that the Philippine government cannot seem to solve! In fact, if government attempts to find solutions to such problems like reckless driving, even Congressmen whose job is to enact laws to put order and safety to our streets back the traffic violators. I’m referring to Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Teofisto Guingona who demanded that the order of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) be scrapped because the fines are grossly exorbitant especially in these times of our having a financial crisis! What stupidity from a Congressman!

First of all, who is not suffering from the financial crisis? So prudence dictates that all these drivers have to do is follow the traffic rules and regulations of the LTO so they won’t be paying those stiff fines! We have conveniently forgotten that driving is a privilege granted to motorists by the State. It is not a right that we can demand to have from the government!

I have been driving around Cebu since my youth and everytime I do, I always meet a reckless driver (most of them are bus drivers) who overtake a slower vehicle at the greater risk of on-coming traffic. These drivers threaten the lives of motorists and passengers every single day and because the government has failed to put traffic cops along these roads, these reckless drivers can do this with impunity!

I have been run out on the road so many times in the past, I have already forgotten how many times this has happened. One of the traffic violations that have been increased by the LTO is disregarding traffic signs. Road markings are also traffic signs and a double yellow line means you’re not supposed to even let your tire hit the traffic marker, much less overtake with that sign or do a U-turn! But does anybody obey traffic signs or even respect road markings? No sir! This is why I fully support the LTO’s decision to increase those fines!

The LTO should change its rules and conduct a special driver’s test for jeepney, taxi and bus or mini-bus or truck drivers. That many jeepney or bus drivers drive their passenger vehicles thinking like they are Michael Schumacher is a reality happening in our streets today. Indeed some jeepneys here are painted in the banners of Forza Red with Ferrari markings or the race colors of BWM or the Renault F1 racing teams. If the LTO means business, they should stop these race painted jeepney from plying our roads so we can have fewer road maniacs driving our streets.

Passenger buses in most foreign countries have a governor in their engines that limit them from running more than the needed speed for the safety of passengers. Perhaps now is the time to find out whether we should now insist on putting governors on the engines of public utility vehicles? Limiting the horsepower of their engines will prevent them from speeding more than they should.

We’re writing this article because another accident has happened resulting to numerous deaths and injury to innocent passengers. But when the issue dies down, this will all be forgotten! But we’re writing it anyway in the hope that someday, someone will do something about this.