Public safety remains a critical issue on Philippine roads, particularly in Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfares, where public utility vehicles (PUVs) are frequently involved in serious traffic accidents.

In the first quarter of the year, multiple vehicular accidents claimed innocent lives.

In Caloocan City, a jeep bound for Navotas City lost control on Samson Road, ramming into at least eight vehicles and injuring nine passengers. In Bulacan, a minibus plunged off a bridge in Calumpit after losing its brakes, killing two people.

Along Commonwealth Avenue, another tragic accident occurred when a traditional jeepney overturned, resulting in two fatalities.

Two consistent causes are behind these tragedies: poorly maintained vehicles and driver negligence. According to the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), at least 31,000 accidents were recorded in 2024.

An alarming 87 percent of these were due to reckless driving, including mobile phone use behind the wheel and drunk driving.

As May began, more deadly incidents followed — a passenger bus crashed along the SCTEX and a private vehicle crashed into people at NAIA Terminal 1.

In response, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and lawmakers are considering stricter policies, including mandatory drug testing for drivers and the reduction of driving hours.

Robert Estrada, a jeepney driver servicing the Malabon-Monumento route, supports the DoTr’s proposed mandate.

“The driver should shoulder the cost of the drug test. Operators don’t have the capacity to cover that — each individual should be responsible.

However, it would be better if the initiative to conduct the drug testing came directly from the DoTr,” he said.

Subsidies pushed

Mar Valbuena, chairman of the transport group Manibela, echoed the sentiment, calling for government subsidies to ease the financial burden on drivers.

Bus driver Joey Parena, who plies the Manila–Sta. Cruz, Laguna route, is also in favor of the new measures.

“The drug testing initiative is good because in that way, they can filter out the drivers who use illegal drugs. It’s for our safety and the passengers’ safety too,” he said.

Parena added that despite the heavy traffic and high passenger demand, he and his fellow drivers still manage to get enough rest between trips.

“Upon arriving at the terminal, we get to sleep in our lounge, and because of long bus queues, we get to rest,” he said.

He noted that their bus line does not pressure drivers to rush or drive while ill. “In our bus line, we can freely say to our dispatchers if we are sleepy, or if we are not feeling well,” he added.

However, not all transport operators follow this practice.

“Sometimes, it’s the operators themselves who pressure the drivers to keep working. I know of a bus line where, if a driver is sick, they’re just given medicine and still made to drive,” Parena said.

“That’s why safety is sometimes compromised, and drivers often lose time with their families because of overwork,” he said.

Following the accident involving a Solid North Transit bus at SCTEX, Transport Secretary Vince Dizon mandated the use of relief drivers for trips exceeding four hours.

Romeo, a trailer truck driver with 15 years of experience, expressed concern that if the rule is applied to truckers, it could hurt their income.

“Our trips are infrequent, and we usually spend a lot of time waiting at the port. If we’re required to have relievers, our income will decrease since we’ll have to split it,” he said.

Motorcycles blamed

Romeo also believes that the enforcement of cargo weight limits and stricter oversight of operators would have a greater impact.

“Maybe when it comes to improvements, there’s nothing more the DoTr and LTFRB need to do — it really comes down to the operators,” he said.

Parena noted that for long haul routes such as those to Bicol, his company does deploy relievers.

“Trips like those are really long, so having two drivers is necessary because it’s unavoidable for a driver to get sleepy on such long drives,” he said.

But driver error is not the only issue. Many drivers blame reckless motorcycle riders and undisciplined private vehicle owners for causing road chaos.

“Sometimes, it’s really the motorcycles that cause problems — they keep weaving through traffic and sometimes get sideswiped,” said Romeo. “There are times we simply don’t see them because of blind spots and the height of our vehicles.”

In March, a female passenger of a ride-hailing motorcycle service died after being run over by a truck along Mel Lopez Boulevard in Manila.

Estrada shared a similar frustration. “Motorcycle riders squeeze into tight spots in traffic, which leads to sideswiping incidents,” he said.

(To be continued)