The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has taken decisive action by summoning the drivers and registered owners of vehicles involved in two separate and severe traffic incidents in Bulacan. In the first incident, a Toyota Avanza with the license plate NIO-3457 crashed into a traffic enforcer in Santa Maria. LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II reported that the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the collision. Both the driver and the vehicle’s owner have been issued a show cause order (SCO) and the vehicle has been temporarily flagged due to the seriousness of the incident. The driver faces potential penalties including suspension or revocation of their driving license for reckless driving and being unfit to operate a vehicle. The vehicle owner is also required to explain why they should not be held accountable for breaching traffic laws.
In a separate but equally grave incident, a modern jeepney with the plate number NIF-2746 was involved in a fatal collision with a tricycle in Calumpit, resulting in two deaths and multiple injuries. The jeepney’s driver claimed a brake failure caused the vehicle to swerve into oncoming traffic, ultimately leading to a head-on collision that sent both vehicles off a cliff. The LTO has initiated a comprehensive investigation to determine any negligence by the driver or the vehicle’s owner in maintaining the jeepney’s roadworthiness. Both the driver’s license and the jeepney have been temporarily flagged for 90 days as the investigation continues.