Ped Xing: Why Motorists Should Give Way

The urban jungle features a landscape filled with tall concrete structures, noisy moving machines on two- or four-wheels, and a sea of people from all walks of life. It is tough to survive in the urban jungle due to its competitive nature and its dangerous environment. In fact, it can be called a killer jungle since there are 299 road accidents recorded per day along with a significant number of death count. Welcome to Metro Manila--a jungle where pedestrians constantly try to stay alive.

According to the Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMARAS), there were a total of 109,322 road accidents in Metro Manila from January to December 2016. MMARAS also stated that there are 299 accidents recorded per day. From the said numbers, the data revealed that there were a significant number of hit-and-run incidents, which resulted to fatal injuries and even death to a pedestrian. The data recorded that that there were a total of 5,412 hit-and-run cases in Metro Manila. MMARAS also said that there were 195 pedestrians killed and 4,913 injured.

There are a number of reasons why a pedestrian could get hurt or killed while he/she is walking or crossing. Whatever the reason is, it all boils down to the simple concept of following the basic traffic regulations our government set for us. Republic Act No. 4136 or the "Land Transportation and Traffic Code" states that "the driver of any vehicle upon a highway within a business or residential district shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing such highway within a crosswalk, except at intersections where the movement of traffic is being regulated by a peace officer or by traffic signal."

It's clear that motorists should give way, on the given circumstance, to a pedestrian crossing (ped xing) on the pedestrian lane or crosswalk. As such, motorists should make a complete stop until the pedestrian crosses safely. Always remember to be a courteous rather than a rude motorist. However, pedestrians doesn't always get the right of way as RA 4136 also states that "every pedestrian crossing a highway within a business or residential district, at any point other than a crosswalk shall yield the right of way to vehicles upon the highway." In other words, the pedestrian's priority is non existent if he/she is not using the proper crosswalk.

Crosswalks or pedestrian lanes and foot bridges are there for a reason as these provide safety for all ped xing. Sad reality though, some pedestrians are too lazy to use the crosswalks or foot bridges. Moreover, the use of crosswalks or foot bridges are not strongly implemented in Metro Manila, and even in other provincial roads. It is as if some pedestrians value comfort rather than safety. It is true that motorists should give way to a pedestrian if he/she is crossing on the proper crosswalk. This act of giving way to a pedestrian is mandated by law but, it also has its limits. The bottom line here is that both motorists and pedestrians should co-exist and be responsible enough to know what’s right and wrong. Afterall, rules are what separates us from animals.