Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II on Tuesday ordered all Regional Directors and District Office heads to intensify the road safety seminars to all drivers of tricycles being used in public transportation.

Mendoza issued the directive following the launching of TODA (Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association) Learning Centers in various parts of the country intended to educate TODA members on road safety in line with the advocacy of Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista to ensure safety of all road users.

The establishment of TODA Learning Centers is aimed at educating the members about their rights and obligations on the road.

Mendoza said they want to set up as many TODA Learning Centers, especially that tricycle drivers depend on their job to feed their family and send their children to school.

He then asked LTO regional directors, district office heads and extension and satellite office heads to initiate road safety seminars for all tricycle drivers in their respective areas of responsibility.

Mendoza also directed them to ensure strong coordination with the local government units, which give permits to operate to the tricycle drivers.

According to the United Nations, around 1.3 million people die every year due to road accidents, 58 percent of them happen in the Asia-Pacific region. In the Philippines, an average of 32 people die every day as a result of road accidents, according to the UN data.

Bautista has been pushing for the reduction of road accidents in the Philippines under the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan which was presented during the Asia Pacific Road Safety Observatory 2023 Annual Meeting.

“Our goal of reducing road accident deaths by 35 percent by 2028 and by 50 percent by 2033 was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. This is part of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan that actively promotes road safety,” Bautista said.