BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) has initiated interventions to address the surge in traffic accidents in 2022.
From Jan. 1 to Dec. 15, it recorded 1,227 incidents of reckless imprudence resulting (RIR) to either homicide, physical injury, or property damage, or those involving road or traffic accidents.
The number is 24.7 percent higher than last year’s 984.
Police Lieutenant Judesses Catalogo, public information officer of the NOCPPO, said the most common causes were driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor as well as reckless driving.
Most of the incidents were reported by the Bago Component City Police Station and Valladolid Municipal Police Station.
Catalogo said the long and wide highways of Bago, just south of this capital city, are where usually traffic accidents happen especially during hours when people travel home.
To curb road accidents, the police in Bago City have installed solar-powered traffic blinkers and signages to regularly remind motorists to exercise caution while traveling.
For other police stations in the south, including Valladolid, they have been instructed to park patrol cars in strategic areas along the road and turn their blinkers on as well.
“We think that once the motorists see the blinkers, they are prompted to slow down. This is especially for motorcycle riders, who are the ones that usually figure in accidents. It has been observed that due to rising fuel costs, some vehicle owners have shifted to motorcycles,” Catalogo said.
Of the total 1,227 traffic accidents, some 162 resulted in homicide, 559 involved physical injuries and 506 led to damage to property.
Catalogo said the police stations have also been instructed to strictly implement traffic ordinances to prevent road accidents.
“With these interventions, we hope that by the month of January, we will see the changes in the trend. We expect that traffic accidents will be reduced from December to January,” he added. (PNA)/PN
