MORE MODERN JEEPS IN ROAD CRASHES: Iloilo City’s traffic incidents down by 29 percent

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Drivers’ education is seen as the biggest factor in the reduction of road crashes in Iloilo City in the first four months of 2023.

Lieutenant Colonel Ethan Estaya, chief of the Iloilo City Police Office-Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Unit (ICPO-TIEU), said they recorded 769 traffic-related incidents from January to April 2023.

For the same period last year, TIEU logged 1,085 cases, a reduction of 316 cases or a 29.12 percent decrease.

Of the 769 incidents, only three are reckless imprudence resulting (RIR) in homicide while 161 are RIR physical injury and 605 are RIR damage to property.

Estaya said deaths due to road crashes drastically dropped since last year’s data with 8 cases of RIR homicide.

The Iloilo City traffic czar said they heightened their information dissemination this year.

“We conduct traffic education seminars for both drivers and even students,” he said.

Estaya said they also handed out leaflets to motorists on road safety.

He noted, though, the higher number of road crashes involving modernized jeepneys recently.

Further, Estaya said that having their own hotline number (0981-8090723) has also helped the traffic unit respond to incidents faster.

Meanwhile, Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 records showed that traffic incidents were almost the same as last year all over Western Visayas.