A Vehicular Accident Toll Board was mounted in an identified accident-prone area in upland Cebu City to serve as a warning to motorists plying the road identified as Highway 815 or the Transcentral Cebu Highway (TCH) that connects Cebu City and Balamban town in Cebu Province’s midwest section.
In a checkpoint on November 26, 2024, led by Police Major Silvestre Cenia, Jr., spokesperson of Highway Patrol Group (HPG) 7, a motorcycle was impounded for non-wearing of prescribed crash helmet by persons riding pillion.
It was also found out that the motorcycle was overloaded as there were a total of three persons riding pillion, including a child. Further, the motorcycle driver failed to present to the authorities his license.
The erring driver did not grant GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak an on-camera interview, but he reasoned out that he has not yet applied for a driver’s license as he has just learned driving a motorcycle recently.
In addition, a 64-year-old motorist was able to present a driver’s license, but the person riding pillion with him also failed to wear a crash helmet.
The driver said that they were in a hurry to buy maintenance medicines.
These are the kind of motorists that the authorities would want to remind of safety with the help of the vehicular accident toll board.
The toll board depicts statistics on road mishaps in the area, the number of persons injured, and the death toll.
The toll board is placed at the roadside in Sitio Maaslom, Barangay Busay, Cebu City.
Busay Barangay Chairman Yody Sanchez said they noticed of the number of persons plying the area on board motorcycles sans the prescribed crash helmet, on overspeeding, persons of minor ages who obviously could not be issued a driver’s license yet, and drivers who are not familiar with the terrain. These were among the reasons why six barangay tanods (village watchmen) were deputized by the Cebu City Traffic Office.
The vehicular accident toll board showed that since January 2024 to November 10, 2024, persons injured in road mishaps have already reached 152, two of which were killed.
Cyril Velasco, a road safety advocate, who sponsored the mounting of the toll board, said that the toll board in Busay is the third at TCH. The other two are in the Municipality of Balamban, and at the boundary of Cebu City and Balamban.
