Impact of public safety taken lightly

The Philippines is becoming one of the most notorious countries in the world for having the most number of coffins on wheels, specifically public transportation buses that people use when travelling on the roads.

The most recent mishap was about a week ago when a bus plunged into a 500-meter-deep ravine on the outskirts of Bontoc, Mountain Province early morning, killing 14 passengers including two European tourists.

In the last quarter of 2013, three major passenger bus accidents also occurred. In October, 20 lives were lost and more than 50 others were injured in Atimonan, Quezon when three buses and four other trucks were involved in a vehicle pile-up.

The following month, in November, a bus headed for the south mowed into a bus stop at the outskirts of Makati City killing six commuters and injuring 33 others.

Then in December, in one of the more bizarre accidents to happen in the country, a bus jumped the concrete side barriers of the elevated Skyway to land on a truck plying the ground level road. More than 20 people died and several others suffered injuries.

In fact, data from the Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) points to a steadily growing number of accidents involving public buses, so much so that there is now statistically an average of at least one accident per bus.

Avoidable accidents

While motorcycle accidents continue to be the number one cause of fatalities on Philippine roads, public utility buses take a close second. Driver error and mechanical failures in the latter have been recorded as the leading causes.

Sadly, these accidents could have been avoided if only there were better regard for the safety of the public by our public servants concerned and the operators of bus lines.

The dismal road accidents that have continued for decades involving these public utility vehicles only underscore the need for tougher implementation of road travel rules and regulations to protect the public at large.

Systematic PUV check-ups

The concerned government agencies should be able to enforce regular, systematic and credible check-ups of PUVs that would ascertain their road-worthiness at all times, and not just for the short period after these are given their license to operate or permits to take to the roads.

There have been cases too of late involving malfunctioning brakes that have been found to be the culprit in the recent string of tragic public vehicle accidents. This only reflects how badly maintained these PUVs, including jeepneys, taxis, and in time, utility vans, have been.

Extra consideration must be given for those buses that need to traverse tough, mountain roads, and which are now being used by foreign and local backpackers who want to travel and see the raw beauty of the Philippines’ frontier lands less frequented by ordinary tourists.

Bald tires, malfunctioning brakes, and poorly maintained parts of the under chassis are sure recipes for accidents on our mountain roads, which become even more challenging for our drivers during harsh inclement weather.

Before granting franchise or license to operate, there is need to check on the suitability and viability of these small bus lines owned by operators that are trying their best to make a buck with as little operating capital as possible set aside for repairs and maintenance, while running buses on these seemingly missionary routes.

Driver integrity

Of course, the other side of this quandary has to do with the readiness of PUV drivers to take on the service of bringing people to their destination in the safest way.

Driver error outside the ambit of mechanical failures is largely due to inattentiveness (including sleepiness or even falling asleep) and risky driving practices especially when trying to overtake a slower vehicle or beating the clock. Drivers being paid under a boundary or quota system are most vulnerable to these malpractices.

Especially for small bus lines, hired drivers are not always the best trained, and are usually exposed to risks of long and extended travel hours as well as night driving.

While there is a need to continuously train PUB drivers on the peculiar challenges of manning big vehicles that carry 30 to 50 passengers at any given time, there should be rules that do not unnecessarily put any additional stress on them while on the road.

Effect on tourism and other economic cost

There have been just too many victims being claimed by road accidents, and as safety experts will concur, a big majority of all these are avoidable. The cost to our economy of all these, including indemnity payments to victims either dead or injured, repairs and restoration to damaged vehicles, and lost productivity time is mounting.

Furthermore, a growing reputation for being a country where traveling by public bus is one of the more sure way of meeting death is not going to bode well for the government’s efforts to promote tourism, either for local or foreign tourists.

Going to the best tourism sites in the country is already a challenge for travelers and leisure seekers, what with the inefficiencies of air and sea ports, as well as road transportation network. Must we even add on to these concerns about the basic issue of safety?

Among the many challenges that confront our government officials in administering the total mobility needs of the country, safety for each and every passenger must be given utmost priority. –Rey Gamboa (The Philippine Star)