Of overspeeding and lane hogging: LTO directs expressway managers to strictly implement road safety rules
At A Glance
- The Land Transportation Office wants expressway enforcers to saggressively run after overspeeding motorists and violators of overtaking lane hogging
- Police data revealed that 13% of rod accidents in 2024 happened on expressways and almost all of them were fatal road crashes
Of overspeeding and lane-hogging: LTO orders expressway managers to strictly implement road safety rules
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has ordered a strict implementation of speed limit and other road safety measures inside expressways amid concerns raised by motorists and netizens about the alleged normalization of overspeeding of errant drivers.
LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor D. Mendoza said that aside from limited presence of expressway enforcers, there were already common observations that enforcers are not strictly implementing the speed limit and other regulations that include motorists overstaying on overtaking lanes.
“The presence alone of even the expressway enforcers compel motorists to behave. IN almost all cases, motorists would slow down once they see mobile cars of expressway enforcers,” said Asec Mendoza.
Mendoza emphasized the need for strict regulations along expressways during a meeting with expressway managers at the LTO Central Office in Quezon City, adding that active monitoring and real-time and quick response of expressway enforcers against errant drivers for all road safety violations, especially over-speeding.
He said that instead of waiting for the overspeeding vehicle at the toll plazas, enforcers must immediately take action once they monitor violations.
“The current practice is that they would wait for the violators at the toll plazas, but what if an accident happened in between the toll plaza and the areas where the overspeeding is monitored?,” said Mendoza.
Lane hogging
Aside from overspeeding, the common complaints by motorists using expressways is the failure of the enforcers to run after drivers who are hogging the overtaking lane.
The left lane is the designated overtaking lane in expressways and while there are already signs for slow-moving vehicles to stay on the right lane, a number of motorists would brazenly disregard it.
In some cases, this causes road rage between the lane-hogging violators and other motorists.
Disturbing data
Citing data from the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-HPG), Mendoza said that of the more than 31,000 road accidents recorded in 2024, 13 percent of them occurred on expressways.
But the sad part is that almost all of the 13 percent accidents on expressways were fatal road crashes.
“We really need to do more. As our deputized enforcers, you share our obligation, our mandate to ensure safety of motorists and all the people using expressways at all times,” said Mendoza.