BACOLOD CITY, (PNA) — The Traffic Management Unit (TMU) of the Bacolod City Police Office is urging motorcycle drivers here to exercise necessary precautions to avoid road accidents.
The call was made anew as motorcycle accidents in this city increased by 856 or 26 percent from January to August this year compared to the figures during the same period last year.
The figures are alarming, said Senior Insp. Benedicto Villarias, chief of the TMU South Sector.
There is danger in driving motorcycles during the rainy season because of slippery roads, he said.
In the first eight months of 2012, there were 3,294 reported motorcycle accidents in the city, including 14 deaths. As of August this year, motorcycle accidents have reached 4,150, with 20 fatalities.
Villarias said that both the driver and the rider must wear the prescribed helmet as protection.
This will also prevent serious injuries in case they figure in an accident, he added.
Motorcycle drivers who don’t observe the necessary precautions may end up injured or dead, Villarias said.
He noted that most accidents were due to overspeeding, drivers being under the influence of liquor, and failure to wear prescribed helmets.