To promote inclusivity in creating effective and responsive policies on peace and order, the Regional Peace and Order Council led the Virtual Forum on Road Safety last June 23.

Attended by key officials from different government agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders, the forum aims to gather recommendations and comments to create policies relating to road safety and peace and order, given the changes caused by the pandemic in the road and transport systems.

It also intends to provide updates on road safety initiatives, policies, and regulations in NCR and initiate creating a Road Safety Plan and Audit Guidelines for further policy research and formulation.

Key officials from The World Bank Philippines, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Department of Public Works and Highway, PNP Highway Patrol Group, and PNP NCR Police Office served as resource speakers in the activity.

Among the topics discussed are Guidelines and Protocols on Active Transportation, Department of Public Works and Highways’s Road Safety Policies and Initiatives, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Road Safety Policies and Initiatives, PNP-Highway Patrol Group’s Road Safety Initiatives and District Deployment, NCRPO’s Enforcement of Policies, Rules, and Regulations on Road Safety.

A highlight of the forum is the discussion of the NCR Road Crash Data and overview on DRIVERS.

DRIVERS is a web-based and open-source system for geo-spatially recording & analyzing road occurrences, such as traffic incidents, disruption, and crimes.

The adoption of DRIVERS in NCR is one of the main thrusts of the council under the leadership of its chair, Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez. Last year, RPOC-NCR passed Resolution No. 21 series of 2020 expressing support to the use of DRIVERS; the council also conducted its rollout early this year as part of the preparation of its adoption in NCR.

In his message, Olivarez encouraged the participants to raise their concerns and suggestions, noting that everyone has a stake in road safety.

“As our population continues to increase, we need to make sure that our communities are livable and sustainable. And one aspect of this is to make sure that our transport systems are safe, accessible, and give special attention to the most vulnerable,” Olivarez noted. #