Mandaue traffic official reminds once more motorists to drive defensively

Onlookers mill around the victim of a road accident at the North Reclamation Area (NRA) in Cebu City on Saturday, June 3, 2023.

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – A traffic official here is once again reminding motorists to drive defensively to avoid accidents on the road.

Police Senior Master Sergeant Melvin Leones, the assistant chief investigator of the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Mandaue City (TEU-MCPO), made this appeal after another life was lost in an accident last Saturday, June 3, 2023.

Julieto Gasper Jr. 26, from Ylaya, Cordova Cebu, died after the motorcycle he was driving rammed into a trailer truck along Ouano Avenue at the North Reclamation Area.

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Based on the investigation of the TEU-MCPO, Gasper was heading south coming from the traffic light of the intersection of Mantawi Drive and Ouano Avenue when he met the accident.

Based on a dash camera video investigators obtained, Gasper and several other motorcycles sped off the traffic light when it turned green. Before reaching an intersection ahead, a truck on the opposite lane (northbound) crossed the road to make a left turn into Aboitiz road.   

When the truck made the turn, another motorcycle that sped off the traffic light with Gasper intentionally dropped his motorcycle upon sensing that he might crash into the oncoming truck. Gasper, unfortunately, wasn’t able to stop and slammed into the rear portion of the truck.

He sustained serious injuries due to the impact with the truck.

In a hurry

Leones said this could have been avoided if motorcycles were not speeding off from the traffic light.

“Hinay-hinay ra gyud ta kay dili nato matag-an nga naay moliko sa other side,” he said.

(Let’s just drive at a safe speed because we can’t predict when someone else makes a turn from the other side.)

Gasper was immediately brought to the Mandaue City Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by an attending physician, Leones said.

“Para pag safety sa atoang kaugalingon observe lang gyud ta pilay gimando sa balaog nga dagan aron malikayan nato ang nahitabo nga nikalas og kinabuhi,”

(For our safety, let’s observe the proper speed limit so we can avoid accidents that claim lives.)

Leones clarified that the motorcycles that were coming from the traffic light weren’t racing based on investigation.

He said the live-in partner of Gasper told investigators that the latter worked in a credit company and he was in a hurry that time because he had a meeting to catch.

Leones also made an appeal to trucks making turns to Aboitiz road.

“Para sa mga dagko sakyanan, dili moditso og liko. Atoa tan-awon ang mga sakyanan kung ni give way ba nato. Dili ta magsalig nga dako ta, dili ta magrabehan,” said Leones.

(For drivers of trucks, make sure not to just turn recklessly. You should see to it that other vehicles are going to give way. You shouldn’t take advantage of your size and think nothing will happen to you in case of accidents.)

The driver of the truck was identified as Rey Calang from Compostela,  Cebu. He is currently detained at the Subangdaku Police Station 2.

Leones said that according to Calang, he made the left turn because he thought he had a safe distance from the oncoming motorcycles. He also did not stop immediately after the accident because he was allegedly not aware that a  motorcycle hit his truck.

The family of the victim has yet to decide whether they will file a case of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide against the truck driver. But Leones said the owner of the truck had already agreed to settle and shoulder the burial expenses of the rider.

Speed limit

Meanwhile, Hyll Retuya of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) said that the area near the boundary of Mandaue City and Cebu City is an accident prone area.

Just like Leones, he “is asking motorists to be careful when driving through that stretch, especially since it could be tempting to drive fast owing to a long straight road after a traffic light.

The stretch of road is the one just before the bridge that connects Mandaue and Cebu City when coming from the Mandaue side.

“Hangyo lang gyud mi, labi na ng muagi diha, hinay-hinay gyud. Huna-hunaa lang gyud ang road safety. Unya huna-huna nga naa moy pamilya nga uli-an” said Retuya.

(We are appealing to those passing that road, just drive slowly. Think of road safety always. Think also that you have a family waiting for you at home.) 

TEAM has already said it will strictly implement the speed limit in the city once the speed guns they are purchasing will arrive.

Under the ordinance, motorcycles, tricycles, cars, and all kinds of motor vehicles may run up to 80 kilometers per hour (kph) on national primary roads, 70 kph when on national secondary roads, and 60 kph for national tertiary roads while buses and trucks can run only up to 50 kph.

For provincial roads the speed limit is 40 kph for motor vehicles and 30 kph for buses and trucks while for barangay roads, the limit is 20 kph.

/bmjo

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TEAM chief: Speed limit ordinance to be strictly implemented soon