In efforts to make the roads safer and at the same time address traffic problems, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has installed metal road studs individually called “cat’s eye” on the lane dividers along Elliptical Road in Quezon City.

MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes explained the purpose of installing cat’s eye in the area is to properly designate vehicular lanes, avoid frequent changing of lanes and more importantly, prevent swerving believed to be the most common cause of accidents.

“The putting in place of the cat’s eye would ensure that the vehicles stay within their designated lanes, and would therefore curb the speed limit to 40 kilometers per hour, which is the maximum limit according to international rules,” Inocentes said.

The installation of the cat’s eye, initiated by the agency’s Traffic Engineering Center (TEC), is in response to the increasing number of vehicular accidents in Quezon City, particularly along the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC).

The QMC, one of the high-speed highways in Metro Manila, is comprised of ten lanes with a length of 1.88 kilometers, a 590-meter diameter, and a radius of 295 meters. It is considered extremely dangerous to motorists because of its roundabout traffic movement.

So-called for its luminosity, cat’s eye are installed three meters apart and will serve as lane dividers to oblige the drivers to stay on their lanes except when turning right to perpendicular roads.

It, too, serves as lane guidance at night, pointed out Inocentes.

Its body, measuring one or two millimeters (mm) x 43 mm, is made up of aluminum metal with glass elements. It has a length of 50 mm and particularly suitable for locations where the road condition is not of optimum quality.

According to Traffic Operations Center (TOC) Chief Angelito Vergel De Dios, most of the vehicles traversing Elliptical Road fail to observe the speed limit, which often results to fatal accidents.

“We have consistently installed pertinent road signs like ‘Stay in your Lane’ along the area in an attempt to prevent accidents. However, motorists continue to disregard the signs and violate the traffic laws,” De Dios said.

In the most recent report released by the Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) of the agency’s Road Safety Unit, Quezon City topped the list with the most number of road mishaps during the first five months of the year.

The MMARAS report cited human error, which involves over speeding, inattentiveness, overtaking, swerving, and disregard for traffic signs and rules, as the most common cause of vehicular accidents.