Along with rider groups and other stakesholders, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Philippine National Police have partnered to drumbeat safety on the Marilaque Road in the aftermath of a high-speed motorcycle race in the area leading to the death of a vlogger last month.
LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II, together with Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, a known motorcyclist, on Sunday led hundreds of riders for a motorcade dubbed “Make Marilaque Road Safe Again.”
“It is unfortunate that it took one person to pass away in order to awaken all of us. But we will take advantage of this momentum to promote road safety not only here along Marilaque, but also in all parts of the country,” Mendoza said in a statement.
He was motivated to promote road safety seeing the willingness of even large corporations to pitch in for the road safety advocacy of the national government.
He said numerous groups and personalities from the motorcycle community have been very supportive of making not only Marilaque Road, but all roads across the country safe for everybody.
“The private sector is very active and even the corporate groups, so we will take advantage of this momentum to push our goal of making our roads safe. Most of the accidents can be prevented, and this is what we are going to instill in the minds of our motorists,” he noted.
Enforcement alone is not a solution to ensure the safety in all roads, he said, adding education and training are likewise important.
The LTO vowed to maximize the private sector’s commitment to provide the necessary training and reach as many motorists as possible.
In 2024, the LTO launched the Stop Road Crash campaign amid the rising number of road mishaps.
The PNP-Highway Patrol Group data showed there were 31,000 road accidents last year with a total of 2,747 fatalities.
Over 15,000 accidents involved motor bikes while more than 17,000 were four-wheel vehicles.
“A death due to a road accident is one too many. That is why we have been aggressively advocating for road safety. Our objective this year is to reduce at least by half the number of road accidents that occurred in 2024,” Mendoza stressed.