Press Release
July 18, 2016

POE: POLICY REFORMS NEEDED TO SOLVE TRANSPORT SAFETY WOES

Sen. Grace Poe has filed a bill seeking to heighten the protection and safety of commuters and passengers across the country.

Poe's Senate Bill 162 proposes the creation of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that will pay strategic and sufficient attention to the nation's transportation woes by creating a dedicated panel that will oversee and coordinate efforts among the various agencies involved in transportation management.

"The high incidence of transportation-related accidents, amid the low quality and inefficiency of transport services, necessitates a scientific and effective approach to ease the sufferings of our commuting public and improve our system for the long haul," Poe stressed.

Under Poe's bill, the NTSB shall be an independent and non-regulatory agency mandated to determine the probable cause of transportation-related accidents on land, sea and air. Its functions shall include conducting independent accident investigations; supporting safety programs based on continuing reviews of causes of unfortunate incidents; and assessing the operating practices and regulations of transportation-oriented government agencies.

"We need to carefully study the context of our road safety problems by looking into the overall transportation system of the country towards having efficient, safe, affordable and accessible public transport services which have been long overdue," Poe reiterated.

The senator cited in her bill's explanatory note that the list of transportation-related injuries and casualties grows longer day by day. According to the World Health Organization's 'World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention,' the human suffering for victims of road traffic-related incidents is incalculable, with endless repercussions to Filipino families and the economy, Poe cited.

Recently, four college students were hit by a truck that went wayward near the corner of Concepcion Aguila Street in Quiapo, Manila.

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