QC councilor calls for strict traffic enforcement during holidays

As the holiday season nears, traffic enforcers in Quezon City were asked to strictly implement road safety measures as accidents involving motorists and pedestrians usually rise during this period.

First District Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr. wanted the city’s traffic security personnel to be strict in enforcing the law against drivers turning off their vehicle’s headlights at night to minimize road accidents.

Ferrer noted that driving with headlights not in the appropriate brightness mode were major causes of road mishaps especially during this Yuletide season where night time is longer.

“There are lots of occasions during the Christmas Season. Dining and drinking sprees are very common. At times people attend numerous parties that is why I am appealing to the public to turn their headlights on when driving at night to prevent road mishaps,” he said.

In most road accidents in the holiday season, law enforcers said that the motorists involved in mishaps were mostly under the influence of liquor exceeded the speed limit or miscalculated their turns.

Ferrer reiterated his call for drivers not to drink liquor when driving or not to drive when drunk saying that an “ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure’’.

The call was made after Councilors Eufemio Lagumbay, Ranulfo Ludovica and Ferrer discussed on ways to make the roads safer this Holiday season.

Lagumbay reminded the motorists passing the major thoroughfares like Commonwealth Avenue of the existing ordinance no. SP 1852 S 08 which requires them to turn on their headlights to the proper density from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day as deterrent to road mishaps.

Aside from reckless driving, lack of road visibility caused by turned off or malfunctioning headlights of motor vehicles were traced to be one of the major causes of road accidents.

Ludovica also urged the public to strictly adhere to traffic rules and regulations while reminding the pedestrians to use the overpasses and the underpasses to cross the streets for their safety.

“It is unlawful to turn off the headlights even if the vehicles are travelling very slowly or even if it is in full stop on the red traffic light. It should be on the dim mode and not on the bright mode so as not to blind the drivers of other vehicles,’’ he noted.

Motorists caught violating the ordinance will be fined not more than