Davao City Speed Limit

Fatal road crashes drop by 60 percent in Davao City due to speed limit, says LTO

By: Lilian C. Mellejor, Philippines News Agency
January 6, 2015 9:06 AM

DAVAO CITY - Davao City has achieved the primary objective of enforcing its Speed Limit Law as the Land Transportation Office (LTO) here reported a significant drop in road crashes from January to December in 2014.

During the Kapehan sa Dabaw Monday, LTO Regional Director Gomer Dy noted a more than 20-percent decrease in the number of minor road incidents and more than 60-percent drop in fatal road crashes last year.

The city implemented Executive Order 39, an order setting the speed limits for all kinds of motor vehicles within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City, providing for its sanctions, and for other purposes. The EO enforced to address the alarming increase in traffic accidents due to reckless driving and speeding in 2013. The law was signed by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in October 2013.

The order sets a 30 kilometer per hour speed limit within the downtown area and other build-up areas; 40 kph from Panacan Crossing to JP Laurel Avenue, from Ulas to Bolton Bridge, and from Ma-a Road to McArthur Highway; and, 60 kph maximum speed in national highways.

From January to December 2014, LTO recorded 28,337 apprehensions of speeding with a fine of almost P1,772 for first offense.

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P56.6 million in fine

Dy admitted LTO earned huge revenues from violations of the speed limit with about P56.6 million in one year. Unfortunately, not a single centavo goes to the city’s coffers because all LTO revenues go to the national government.

Not only that, Dy said, if arrested for speeding and the violator was found to be driving without a license, no vehicle registration, and other violations, penalties could reach up to P10,000.

Earlier, the chief of the Traffic Management Center (TMC), Rhodelio Poliquit, also reported a huge drop of traffic crashes during the first months of the speed limit implementation at 42.9 percent.

TMC had reported about 4,000 traffic incidents from January to September 2014 from 7,000 in the same time period in 2013.

“We are committed to assist the city’s enforcement of the city speed limit,” Dy said.

LTO Assistant Regional Director Macario Gonzaga said LTO thanks the city government for despite not receiving any share from speed limit apprehensions, it has provided LTO the speed guns and motorcycle for their operations.