Many a motorist is probably starting to get nervous right now as authorities prepare for the reimplementation of the No-Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) on Monday, May 26, in major thoroughfares of Metro Manila, particularly EDSA and C5 Road.

For the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the rule is simple: It all boils down to what you learned from your Theoretical Driving and Practical Driving courses that gave you the driver’s license.

But how about the old schoolers who learned driving from their parents, titos and titas and even husbands who have anger management problems every time they would commit mistakes? Behaving, and familiarizing every traffic sign in your regular route would do the trick. 

For instance, reckless swerving and those illegal turns are among the common violations, thus, motorists should always be mindful of those white and yellow lines on the road as well as the traffic signs because those lines and signs have something to do with the information encoded on artificial intelligence-capable cameras installed along the roads.

Other most common violations based on MMDA data are disregarding traffic signs, illegal parking both attended and unattended, violation of number coding, reckless driving and obstruction.

Aside from EDSA, MMDA chairman Don Artes said the NCAP will also be implemented in these roads: Recto, Mendoza, Quirino Avenue, Araneta Avenue, CP Garcia, Katipunan Avenue, Tandang Sora, Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, South Superhighway and Shaw Boulevard.

The lifting of the TRO further motivated the MMDA to do more because as Artes revealed in a recent interview, around 1,000 more high-definition cameras will be installed in various areas in Metro Manila.

What happens in NCAP 

Artes said there is actually nothing new with the implementation.

Basically, NCAP means that instead of MMDA enforcers apprehending the violators, it will be the CCTV which will do the job by capturing the image of the car, including the license plate, from the video during the violation.

A notice of the violation will then be sent to the registered address of vehicle owners based on the data of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) containing the time and place where the violation was committed, the violation/s and the fine that must be paid.

Artes assured transparency as he emphasized that all violations are still being reviewed by MMDA personnel before the notice of violation is sent.  

He explained that a review is necessary since the artificial intelligence that tags the violation is so strict that it fails to consider some factors that may justify the violation. 

For instance, the AI in CCTV would tag a motorist for swerving violation and Artes said the swerving could be justified due to an obstruction that was not put into the AI system.

What to do

In the event that a motorist receives a notice of violation, Artes said due process would be observed since they would be given the opportunity to contest.

He said those who want to contest the violation could do so without even going to the MMDA office since it could be done online via the MMDA’s Facebook page and website.

All that the motorists could do, according to Artes, is to fill out a form that would be provided.

“So there’s no need for them to go to the MMDA office, they could do it online and we could even send the video of the actual footage of the violation,” said Artes,

He said there will be an MMDA Traffic Adjudication Division for all the complaints of the motorists. 

But what if the registered owner is not the one driving the motor vehicle when the violation was committed.

If it’s your brothers or male friends, ask them to explain what happened and seek their help to either contest or pay the violation.

But if it’s the wife or the girlfriend who committed the violation… Well, don’t forget to apologize when you bring up the matter to them, or better yet, just shut up and own up to the violation to avoid more troubles.