Loren urges safe driving habits for motoriders

Senator Loren Legarda urged yesterday commercial establishments that employ motorcycle-riding delivery personnel to provide them with free safe-driving training, accident insurance and hazard pay.

Loren expressed support for a plea made by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to owners of fast-food chains to stop "fast delivery promos" that force their delivery personnel to disregard safe motoring practices.

"All concerned commercial establishments must take proper care of their delivery personnel who risk their lives in the performance of their jobs," she said.

"These include parcel delivery firms, fast-food chains, etc. The No. 1 priority should be to afford them training on safe driving habits so as not to endanger their lives and the lives of others on our busy streets and highways."

She said other public utility drivers of cargo vehicles like trucks must also be given free motoring training by their employers, possibly in coordination with the LTO.

Since accidents occur frequently in this vocation, Loren said, commercial firms may should provide their drivers, messengers and delivery men free accident and medical insurance.

"Such benefits are in line with efforts to inculcate corporate social responsibility among companies and at the same time provide incentives to delivery personnel," she said.

The senator noted alarming media reports on the almost daily occurrence of road accidents involving motorcycle riders. At present, government is mulling regulations requiring motorcycle riders to secure training on safe driving habits before they are given driving licenses.

"If such a training will be made mandatory, it will be for the benefit of our people who consider riding motorcycles an efficient mode of transportation," she said. "But I expect this plan by government to be met wutg some resistance because it will be seen as discriminatory against motorcycle riders. Of course, the thinking would be, why motorcycle riders only?"