Motorcycles deadliest vehicle in Metro in 2019

Motorcycle riders pass along Buendia Avenue in Makati. INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines Despite massive strides in institutionalizing road safety mechanisms, especially for motorcycle taxis, the two-wheeler was the deadliest vehicle on Metro Manila’s streets last year, based on the annual road crash data report of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

The report said that in 2019, motorcycles caused the highest number of fatalities in road crashes, with 212 out of the total of 394 people killed.

Of the number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes, motorcycles also ranked first with 234, followed by trucks with 98.

The MMDA report, meanwhile, found out that C-5 Road, which traverses seven cities in the metropolis, was again the deadliest road for all vehicles last year with 31 recorded fatal crashes.

Accident-prone areas included the Ateneo de Manila-Miriam College area; McKinley Hill (SM Aura and Market! Market!); and Pinagsama-Diego Silang.

The findings of the MMDA report on motorcycles may affect public discussion on whether they should be used for public transport.

However, the MMDA and the different traffic agencies across Manila have yet to differentiate between crashes involving habal-habal (unauthorized motorcycle taxis) and government-recognized bike-for-hire companies like Angkas, MoveIt and JoyRide.

Motorcycle safety advocates have long argued that regulating motorcycle taxi firms will make them safer than the habal-habal by a wide margin.

So far, the only available metric is Angkas’ safety record, which claims a 0.003 percent accident rate.

According to a copy of the MMDA report given to the Inquirer, there were around 86 crashes daily, both fatal and nonfatal, involving motorcycles last year. This was a slight increase compared to 73 in 2018.

While cars accounted for 50 percent of all vehicles involved in both fatal and nonfatal road crashes, motorcycles frequently figured in fatal road crashes, recording 234 cases versus 80 for cars.

Quezon City, Taguig, Makati and Pasig ranked as the top cities most dangerous for the two-wheeler, owing to their big population and complex road network compared to other cities.

The MMDA did note, however, that motorcycles and cars were recording higher figures possibly because they were the most common vehicles in the metropolis.