Police cites human error as

causing most traffic injuries 

TAGBILARAN CITY, August 1, 2017 (PIA) --Human error, as what Bohol Police authorities would call it, is largely the prime cause of traffic related physical injury cases. 

Defensive drivers here however have a diagnosis for that: unregulated issuance of drivers licenses and graft. 

No matter how careful you are, still there are drivers who apparently have no knowledge about traffic rules and make the roads just as dangerous to them, to other drivers and even to pedestrians, observes a sales agent whose daytime hours is mostly spend on the roads. 

There used to be a time when licenses can be issued as long as one is willing to pay, another driver adds in. 

The facility of owning a motorcycle, with companies offering tempting low down-payment schemes exacerbate the problem, traffic enforcers also add, citing most accidents by motorcycles.

Claiming 84% of the 984 traffic related injury cases noted from January to July 2017, accidents caused by human error zoomed as high as 835 cases, according to a report from Camp Dagohoy, here in Tagbilaran. 

In a report delivered before the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting at the Mansion last week, Camp Dagohoy crime statisticians defined human error as generally over speeding and other driving transgressions dependent on the human factor. 

Also included in the definition is premature over taking, driving under influence of liquor, improper turns, untrained driver, aggressive driver, hitting pedestrians, driving in the wrong lane and drowsy driving. 

Police noted that over-speeding cases resulting to injuries reached 163 cases in the first seven months white premature overtaking, which again is a case of over-speeding, reached 159 cases. 

Bohol police also noted that cases of improper turns which has caused physical injuries and damage to property reached 115 while police also noted 101 cases of physical injuries by untrained drivers.

Crime statisticians also noted aggressive driving (69 cases), pedestrian lane violations (38 cases), and drowsy driving (22 cases). 

Police authorities however also see non-human factors in these physical injury cases concerning traffic related incidents. 

These, they said include design defects (26), brake failure (15 cases) and tire blow outs (3 cases). 

Considering these, observers said a design defect in a vehicle is worth a lemon suit, of which, none of such has been filed or a recall from manufacturers implemented. 

A brake failure and tire blow-out could also be because of poor vehicle maintenance, which should fall under human error. 

Camp Dagohoy on the other hand admitted that road obstructions due to flurry of road construction activities, absence of proper signage, slippery roads have already caused several accidents. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Human error or human folly, this fairly sums up Bohol's top traffic concern. Saddled with the problem of having abusive or ignorant drivers using the roads as their anger-management tool, road accidents or what police would call traffic related incidents bring Bohol crimes up. Here a TARSIER emergency rescue vehicle was not spared. (PIABohol/file foto)