The Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC) and agencies Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transport Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), presented their respective programs designed to solve the issue of road safety during a recent conference in Makati City.

The multi-sectoral forum was attended by representatives from transport groups, government agencies, the academe, and the private sector. It is the fifth in a series of conferences organized by the Automotive Association Philippines (AAP), the University of the Philippines-National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS), and Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP).

In separate messages during the conference, the DoTC, LTO, and LTFRB were united in promising to perform their regulatory and enforcement functions to ensure the roadworthiness and safety of vehicles and the qualification of drivers.

DoTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza bared that by July or August, the DOTC will install the Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) at the central office of the LTO, and in the other regions of the country by 2010.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Anneli Lontoc, who heads the LTO, said her agency is making sure that only registering roadworthy and emission-compliant motor vehicles and that only skilled and quality drivers get a license from the agency.

LTFRB Chairperson Elena Bautista meanwhile reported that one of their programs is the establishment the Land Transport Drivers and Operators Academy as their response to the growing clamor for better driver education and road safety.

"We have always led calls for stricter written and practical exams for the application of a drivers license. The problem of road safety includes unqualified drivers who do not know how to use the roads properly," said AAP vice president and Road Safety Committee chairman Johnny Angeles. "We therefore welcome these initiatives from our government agencies."

The need for a traffic safety education program was reinforced by a recent study on road user behavior. Dr. Aurora Corpuz-Mendoza, associate professor and college secretary of the College of Science and Philosophy, Department of Psychology, of the University of the Philippines, said, "There is growing recognition that road user behavior is now the most important single accident contributory factor with 85 percent of road accidents in the Philippines caused by driver error or violations."

Dr. Corpuz-Mendoza presented the results of her study that investigated the driver behavior of Filipino public jeep and private vehicle drivers in Metro Manila. The study showed that education, knowledge of rules, and the acceptance of risks are influence road user behavior, particularly the intentions to commit violations that could lead to traffic incidents.

"We join our fellow road safety advocates in looking forward to the success of these government projects," said TMP senior vice president Serafin Pantaleon. "These are the types of programs we envisioned when we promised to work with the AAP and the UP-NCTS for the road safety conferences. It is our fervent hope that these efforts will strengthen the cause for road safety in the Philippines."