Fatal road accidents involving motorcycles will be substantially reduced once the Mandatory Helmet bill is signed into law by President Arroyo, authors of the measure said Saturday.

Buhay partylist Reps. Irwin Tieng and Rene Velarde said the bicameral conference committee that will fine-tune the Senate and Lower House versions of the law is expected to meet soon and submit a consolidated version of the measure for approval by Mrs. Arroyo.

Tieng and Velarde lauded the cooperation of their colleagues in the Lower House for the approval last Monday of House Bill 6924 which makes it mandatory for motorcycle riders to wear standard protective helmets.

The two lawmakers noted the rising number of fatal road accidents among motorcycle riders, saying many of the victims succumbed to serious head injuries.

Fines ranging from P1,500 to P10,000 will be imposed against violators.

The Traffic Operations Center of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority revealed that motorcycle accidents registered the highest fatality
rate last year at 106 deaths, said Tieng.

The number may increase as more Filipinos have resorted to using motorcycles as their means of transportation.

According to Tieng, the motorcycle industry statistics showed that about 3.5 million motorcycles have been registered in the country.

On the other hand, Velarde disclosed that in 2006, the United States motorcycle statistics showed that 4,935 motorcycle accident deaths were reported. At least 50 percent of the incidents were related to alcohol use by drivers involved in the accident.

On the other hand, 60 percent of the fatalities were not using standard helmets at the time of their death.

According to Velarde most deaths were caused by head and chest injuries.