Are you worried every time you use the public utility vehicles in the country? You’re not alone. In fact, there are a lot of you. WR Numero Research, a non-partisan public opinion research firm, said 8 out of 10 Filipinos are worried they will get into a road accident when they are on public roads. They have reason to because apparently, nearly 1 of 2 PUVs fail the brake test in Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVICs) according to data from Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines (VICOAP).
These are 2 of the most damning data shared to us during the media roundtable titled “Preventing the Next Crash: Data-Driven Road Safety Reforms” held in Komunidad, BGC. Aside from VICOAP and WR Numero, it brought together representatives from Philippine Advocates for Road Safety, e-Sakay, and De La Salle University. The event is to commemorate the upcoming World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims which happens every third Sunday of November. This is enacted by government agencies, LGUs, and NGOs via Presidential Proclamation No. 2092 by Former President Gloria Arroyo and later on, via Former President Duterte’s RA 11468.
The sample size of WR Numero’s survey span across all classes from A to E, with almost equal responses. It’s understandable since all of us use the road in one way or another. VICOAP representatives then showed a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority that the number of road traffic deaths were at 12,755 in 2019, dropped to 8,748 in 2020 (despite the lockdowns, mind you) and has surged to 13,125 in 2023.
Going back to WR Numero, their survey revealed that 1 in 3 Filipinos view poor maintenance of vehicles as a primary cause of road accidents in the Philippines. This coincides with VICOAP’s findings that 47.3% of PUVs fail the brake test. That sample is still sparse since many LTO branches do not have a nearby PMVIC center. Worse is, failing the brake test doesn’t mean the vehicle cannot be renewed.
Brake tests done by PMVICs are automated and sent directly to the LTO database. This means there’s less chances of tampering with the data since there’s no human intervention between the score and the submission. It measures the braking force relative to the car’s weight to determine if it has appropriate stopping power.
VICOAP says only the visual inspection of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the emission testing is mandatory in a vehicle’s registration renewal. They showed an example where a car failed the brake test but still got a passing mark. That means they’re just a suggestive entity in this process because their reports have no teeth. A failed vehicle can still ply the roads legally. No wonder the number of accidents related to brake failure keep rising.
To be clear, VICOAP isn’t villainizing the LTO. They’re just stating facts that right now, amendments have to be made. It’s a move that’s aligned with the Department of Transportation’s Road Safety Action Plan that aims to reduce traffic-related deaths by 35% in 2028.
There are ways to curb this issue. First is to have more PMVIC throughout the country. More of them means more data from tangible sources. Second and most important is to make brake testing mandatory for all vehicles, but especially for PUVs. Third is to expand PMVIC coverage to include heavy vehicles.
There’s also educating the public, ending reliance on fixers, and sustaining a multi-sector coalition – like the one on the roundtable.
The problem is, we can speak all we want but the ball is not on our court. Making the brake test mandatory for all vehicles means amending the law – something that rests on the tables of the congress and senate. As we’ve seen on the news, both houses of lawmakers have problems internally, nationally, and politically.
Right now the magnifying glass is on the flood control projects of DPWH and the recent situation in Cebu. However, the participants on the roundtable call for action from the lawmakers as the brake failure is, according to them, a silent pandemic in the Philippines. It’s a nationwide problem that affects many lives.
