The Department of Transportation (DoTr) and its attached agencies — the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) — are taking coordinated actions to improve road safety following a string of fatal accidents.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon signed a series of department orders on Monday mandating drug testing for all public utility vehicle drivers every three months and cutting their maximum allowable driving hours from six to four.

For trips lasting more than four hours, a replacement driver — rather than a conductor — will be required to take over.

“Today, I signed a department order mandating drug testing for all drivers of public conveyance vehicles. That means all public utility vehicle drivers are required to undergo mandatory drug testing,” Dizon said during a media briefing.

Dizon also directed the LTO and LTFRB to enforce stricter roadworthiness inspections and to enhance driver training programs.

“People do not feel safe on our streets — that is the reality, the sad reality. And I’ve been directed by the President to fix it. Let’s not fool ourselves — we all know that roadworthiness checks here aren’t really being done properly.”

In addition, authorities have been instructed to investigate the social media accounts of those who posted CCTV footage of the recent SUV crash near the entrance of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, as part of broader accountability efforts.

“Don’t take advantage of our fellow citizens’ tragedies by posting videos of those tragedies online just to earn money or get a scoop,” said Dizon in a Facebook post.

The DoTr crackdown also comes in the wake of a multi-vehicle collision on the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) that claimed 12 lives and injured at least 27 others on 1 May.

The LTFRB earlier announced it would provide P400,000 in financial assistance to the families of each deceased victim.

The regulator has suspended Dagupan Bus Co. units for 30 days after the fatal crash involving a Solid North bus at the SCTEX toll plaza.

NAIA crash

Dagupan Bus Co., now owned by JAC Liner Inc., operates Solid North Transit Inc. as its subsidiary.

In the NAIA incident, a 28-year-old man and a five-year-old girl were killed, and four others were injured, after a car barreled into a crowd and crashed near the entrance to Terminal 1 on Sunday morning.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said, as a motorist and a rider himself, he supports the new policy announced by Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon.

“Back in the 16th Congress, I authored Republic Act 10916 or the Road Speed Limiter Act of 2016 — a law that mandates speed-limiting devices in select public utility vehicles to help prevent fatal accidents,” Ejercito said.

“The spirit of that law is clear: the safety of our people must always come first, and that we must take proactive and preventive action to avoid speed-related tragedies,” he added.