Motorcycle riders again topped the list of those apprehended by the Metro Manila Development Authority for violating the Anti-Distracted Driving Act.
Latest figures from the MMDA public information office showed that more than half of the 114 motorists caught using gadgets while on the road were motorcycle riders (68), followed by car drivers (28).
Also caught by closed-circuit television cameras installed at the MMDA Metro Base were drivers of Asian Utility Vans, public utility buses, UV Express, pickup trucks, trucks and taxicab.
“We can see violations at MMDA Metro Base through our cameras. Then we send notices for violators to pay their fines. They pay fines in designated banks,” said MMDA chairman Danilo Lim.
Authorities reminded motorists that they can be fined several times within the day if they are found to have repeatedly violated the law.
MMDA legal and legislative staff officer Victor Nuñez said a citation ticket for violating ADDA issued in Quezon City, for example, would not be a guarantee to a motorist that he would be exempted from being apprehended within the day if again caught for the same violation in another city.
Nuñez said they have attributed the decrease in the number of apprehension on the second day following the massive public information campaign on the policy.
On the first day, the MMDA caught more than 200 drivers.
Under the revised implementing rules and regulations of ADDA, drivers are prohibited from using electronic devices and mobile phones, except when the hands-free functions have been enabled. Gadgets should also be placed only on the car’s dashboard as long as these don’t exceed the four-inch height limit.
Among the prohibited acts under this law meant to make driving safer are: holding the device to make or receive calls; composing, sending and reading text messages; performing calculations; playing games; watching videos, and browsing the internet.
The mobile gadgets cannot be used even if the driver was in a traffic jam.
Nuñez said the first offense has a fine of P5,000, the second offense goes up to P10,000 while P15,000 for the third offense including suspension of the driver’s license for three months and P20,000 for the fourth offense including revocation of the driver’s license.
Apart from the MMDA, enforcers of the Land Transportation Office, Local Government Units and National Police-Highway Patrol Group are also implementing the law.
MMDA records showed that there is an average of 262 crashes daily or 11 crashes per hour in the metropolis.
Last year, the agency recorded 109,322 road crashes in the metropolis but its database does not include statistics on distracted driving.
Most of these road accidents, however, also involved undisciplined riders of motorcycles.
When ADDA (Republic Act 10913) was first implemented in May, a big number of motorcycle riders were also apprehended.
Based on the 2016 Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System program, reckless motorcycle riding remains the top cause of deaths and injuries on Metro Manila streets.
The MMARAS statistics last year showed that motorcycles have the “highest fatality accident rate” with 218 in total number of deaths, followed by trucks (103) and private cars (98). The records further showed that 23,105 motorcycles were involved in road accidents last year.
Motorcycles also topped the list of vehicles with the most number of injuries at 11,456 followed by cars (7,544) and public utility jeepneys (1,922).
Also, according to the World Health Organization, in its 2015 Global Status Report on Road Safety, 53 percent of reported road fatalities in the Philippines involved motorcycle riders.