The intensified campaign by the Land Transportation Office - National Capital Region and other authorized agencies to crack down on traffic offenders led to the capture of over 10,000 traffic violators in the first quarter of 2024, yielding over P26 million in government revenue.
LTO-NCR Regional Director Roque "Rox" I. Verzosa III on Monday announced a significant government revenue increase of 204.91 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, totaling P26,498,535, as reported by Rechelle A. Verzosa, OIC Operations Division, and Elizabeth F. Binay, Regional MIS-in-charge.
The LTO-NCR chief further stated that the number of apprehended drivers in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 saw a significant increase of 286.40 percent (3,662 in 2023 vs. 10,488 in 2024).
Verzosa disclosed that, based on the latest data from the LTO-NCR Traffic Safety Unit (TSU) under the leadership of Rocilyn Villaruel, the Law Enforcement Unit and Law Enforcement Team apprehended 8,682 motorists for various traffic law violations from January to March 2024.
Of the total, 4,982 motorists were apprehended for violating Republic Act (RA) 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code. This includes 764 cases involving unregistered motor vehicles, in line with the 'No Registration, No Travel' policy.
Verzosa, however, pointed out that among the apprehended motorists, the largest group, totaling 1,412, were caught for driving vehicles with defective accessories, devices, equipment, or parts. Other notable violations included driving while wearing slippers (699), failure to carry OR/CR while driving (556), reckless driving (378), driving without a valid license (221), disregarding traffic signs (139), and obstruction (124).
During the same period, 2,584 motorists were apprehended for not using seat belt devices, a violation under Republic Act (R.A.) 8750. Additionally, 1,064 motorists faced penalties for not wearing the standard protective motorcycle helmet (R.A. 10054), 39 for non-compliance with the Children Safety on Motorcycle law (R.A. 10666), 12 for violations of the Anti-Distracted Driving Act (R.A. 10913), and one for driving under the influence of prohibited drugs (R.A. 10586).
The report also emphasized that LTO-NCR deputized personnel of the DPWH and the PNP also apprehended 1,799 drivers for various violations during the same period. These infractions included violations of Republic Act 8794 (motor vehicle user's charge), R.A. 8750, R.A. 10054, unregistered motor vehicles, and other related offenses.
The LTO official also mentioned that the operations were conducted under the guidance of Transportation Secretary Jaime "Jimmy" J. Bautista and LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II.