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Posted July 4, 2008
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Location
Manila, Philippines
Manila, Philippines
Assignment
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Motorcycle Crash Victim
(04 July 2008, Manila) -- The initial analysis by a traffic officer on the scene suggested it may have been provoked by road rage. Both drivers may have been involved in some earlier altercation, which led to the car chasing the motorcycle. Seconds later, the car hit the motorcycle from behind which sent its driver flying off and crashing against the road divider. Luckily, he was wearing a helmet and thus, prevented any life-threatening injury to his head. He was, however, in great pain from injuries he had sustained on certain parts of his body. Should the initial on-the-spot analysis of the traffic enforcement officer reflect the result of an official investigation later on, the car driver may face criminal charges such as attempted vehicular murder. *To view the unedited version of this video clip, click here.It should be noted that with the ongoing increase in gasoline prices, including easy-term payments offered by dealers, many local folks find motorcycles easier to own and more economical to maintain. Thus, the motorcycle industry has been enjoying continued sales growth. Based on figures from the Land Transportation Office (LTO), 2.6 million of the 5.5 million total motor vehicles registered in 2007 were motorcycles. However, with the proliferation of these two-wheeled vehicles on our streets, comes some bad news as well. According to the Metropolitan Road Safety Unit of the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority), from January to December of 2006 alone, motorcycles had the highest fatality accident rate with 23.60 percent of the total fatal accidents involved motorcycles, followed by cars with 21.86. Therefore, the MMDA as headed by Fernando Bayani is now seriously studying the possibility of requiring motorcycle drivers to attend driver training programs prior to being issued licenses. This is, unarguably, a program worth implementing. As other motor vehicle drivers would attest, many motorcyclists tend to ignore even the most basic traffic rules and regulations. In Manila alone, it is a common sight for a motorcycle driver to disregard light turn signals of a car ahead of him; even racing to pass it on the side it intends to make a turn. Many motorcyclists are also notorious to weave in and out of lanes, unexpectedly overtake on the right side, drive against the designated flow of one-way streets., and use pedestrian lanes when the street becomes too snarled in traffic -- even arrogantly pressing their horns on pedestrians who hinder their passage. Worst of all, many motorcycle drivers allow small children to ride with them without wearing any protective head gear as required by law. And if caught and given a ticket, most drivers would simply shrug off, if not laugh off altogether, the measly 100 peso fine. Sadly, despite the almost daily reports of fatal accidents involving motorcycles, careless drivers remain unaffected and continue to defy traffic rules and regulations; seemingly more absorbed with the idea of upholding the macho image linked with motorcycling. Undoubtedly, mandatory motorcycle training and certification programs could help make responsible drivers out of our Manila motorcycle enthusiasts.
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