MindanaoToday.com | LTO-10 catches 84 road violators daily
By: Uriel Quilinguing
Aside from road conditions, accidents can either be due to human error or mechanical failure, even as operatives from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Northern Mindanao had flagged down a daily average of 84 drivers of motor vehicles for various violations in the first four months this year.
LTO-10 Law Enforcement Section Chief Santino Aguilar, in a “Kapihan sa PIA” forum at the Limketkai Center in Cagayan de Oro on Tuesday, April 30, said they had over 6,700 apprehensions involving drivers with their vehicles since January this year.
Aguilar said 1,041 of those apprehended were unregistered vehicles and drivers with expired license or no license at all, involving 668 motorcycles and 373 four-wheel motor vehicles. These include multicabs of barangay governments, the registration papers of which were not renewed.
LTO Cagayan de Oro District Office Head Ferdinand Flores, who is also the LTO-10 spokesperson, said unregistered motor vehicles and those with expired licenses are to be impounded and legitimate owners would have six months to claim them, after due process.
Flores said there have been unclaimed impounded motor vehicles at the LTO-10, some of these for almost two decades. These, he said, may be disposed by public auction, with the knowledge of the Commission on Audit.
LTO-10 Regulation Officer Alrey Ebajay, also in the forum, said road-worthiness is one of the pillars of road safety which the LTO is mandated to observe all year-round, but this would be the highlight in the May 17, 2024 simultaneous inter-agency Road Safety Month celebration.
The other four pillars are quality drivers who are expected to possess theoretical and practical knowledge of driving; traffic discipline which implies strict observance of laws and LTO requirements; community relations anchored on shared responsibility; and legislative initiatives at all levels that ensure road safety.
Transportation Inspection Chief Mohammad Sarif of the Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 10 said they work closely with the LTO and coordinate with other agencies to ensure road safety. He said the modernization of public utility vehicles is along this goal of securing the riding public aside comfort.
“It is true that there are accident-prone portions of the road,” Flores said when asked why road condition was not included among the pillars of road safety.
He said they are appealing to the district offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways and local governments to make sure there are safety signages and that roads are well lighted especially at nighttime.
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