THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has formed a technical working group to review road safety regulations amid a series of accidents in the National Capital Region.
The MMDA on Thursday convened a group of truckers, haulers, and motorcycle ride-hailing operators to formulate a new policy on road safety.
MMDA chairman Romando Artes, general manager Procopio Lipana, and Land Transportation Office chief Vigor Mendoza II organized the stakeholders' meeting.
The meeting came up with a consensus to form a technical working group to study how to resolve incidents of road collisions, concerns over overloading by cargo haulers, and other issues.
For MMDA’s part, Artes gave assurance they will make the collection and recording of data in the Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) more comprehensive.
Among the stakeholders who attended the meeting were the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations, the Inland Haulers and Truckers Association, the Automobile Association of the Philippines, and motorcycle ride-hailing apps including Angkas, JoyRide, and Lalamove.
Representatives from the Department of Transportation, the Department of the Interior and Local Government; the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Police Highway Patrol Group were also present at the meeting.
This year’s MMARAS report showed that the number of road accidents reached 62,723 cases and 332 fatalities, with four-wheeled vehicles being the top three culprits.
Motorcycles and trucks were the second and third most involved vehicles.
Last year was even worse with 85,954 road accidents, leaving 352 people dead.