By Jennifer P. Rendon
Western Visayas recorded a slight increase in the number of road accidents in the first five months of 2022.
Records from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed that the region’s public safety index (PSI) was at 4,256 incidents from January to May, this year. It increased by 502 cases of 13.37 percent from last year’s 3,754 incidents.
Guimaras posted the highest increase at 83.63 percent.
The island-province logged 101 vehicular incidents or an increase of 46 in the first five months of the year.
Bacolod City also posted a dramatic rise in the number of road accidents at 64.28 percent, from 84 cases last year to 138 this year.
The province of Capiz registered a 44.68 percent increase with 531 cases this year from last year’s 367.
Iloilo province also posted a notable uptick in the number of road incidents with 22.92 percent. It registered 1,405 road incidents in five months compared to last year’s 1,143 cases.
Antique province’s road accidents increased by 10.36 percent 284) this year’s 181 cases compared to 164 in 2021.
Meanwhile, Aklan and Iloilo City are the two areas that were able to lower the number of vehicular incidents.
Iloilo City recorded 1,233 cases from last year’s 1,392 or a decrease of 11.42 percent.
Aklan made a slight reduction at 5.55 percent after registering 153 cases from last year’s 162.
While there was increase in the number of incidents, PRO-6 noted that deaths arising from road accidents slightly decreased.
Cases of reckless imprudence resulting (RIR) in homicide declined by 11 percent. Last year, there were 172 cases of RIR resulting in homicide compared to 161 this year.
The provinces of Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental all posted lower RIR homicide by a single digit percentage.
Aklan maintained 11 cases of RIR homicide.
However, the cities of Bacolod and Iloilo both made a big leap.
Iloilo City registered a 300 percent increase, from only 2 deaths last year to 8 this year.
On the other hand, Bacolod City increased by 137 percent after logging 19 cases this year compared to only 8 last year.
On reckless imprudence resulting to physical injuries, the region recorded a negligible decrease of 0.57 percent.
Only Iloilo City and Aklan posted a decrease in the number of injuries due to road-related incidents.
Bacolod City and the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental all made an increase in RIR physical injuries.
On reckless imprudence resulting to damage to property, there was an increase of 17.28 percent.
From last year’s 2,129 cases, it went up to 2,497 cases.
Again, only Iloilo City and Aklan registered a decline in the number of RIR damage to property.
Bacolod City and the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental have logged more cases of damage to property due to vehicular incidents.
Most of these vehicular accidents involved 4-wheel vehicles at 2,332 cases; two-wheel vehicles at 1,769; three-wheel vehicles at 344; and six-wheel and above vehicles at 296.
Based on available data, it appeared that majority of these incidents are human error.
PRO-6 records shows that 1,531 incidents happened due to reckless driving while 1,474 were due to drivers’ error.
Drunk driving was at 137 cases; mechanical defect at 49; road rage at 26; while 14 was due to damaged or under repair roads.
Furthermore, 3,708 of drivers involved in road accidents have driver’s license while 744 were without driver’s license.
