MPTC institutionalizes road safety thrusts

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) has institutionalized its string of road safety efforts in line with the celebration of Road Safety Month.

Dubbed as “Mission: Road Safety”, the mobility infrastructure and solutions provider said that it is conducting the aforementioned initiative to reinforce its mission to secure everyone on the road.

Based on three pillars (safe self, safe vehicle, and safe roads), the Mission: Road Safety program's road safety awareness seminars and digital information campaigns are aimed to ensure welfare of motorists using or within the proximity of MPTC-managed expressways namely the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), NLEX Connector, Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway, Cavite-Laguna Expressway, Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), CAVITEX C5 Link, and Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

“Road safety is at the core of Metro Pacific Tollways’ business. We have advanced protocols in place to avoid untoward incidents, we have responsive on-ground and 24/7 hotline personnel to ensure that our motorists are well attended to, expressways that are built for safety, and employees who have passion for innovation to explore more ways to better serve our stakeholders,” MPTC President and Chief Executive Officer Rodrigo Franco explained.

MPTC units NLEX Corporation and Metro Pacific Tollways South (MPT South) have already established their efforts toward road safety awareness with their respective flagship programs “Biyahero Road Safety Caravan” and “Drayberks Drive Road Safety Seminars.”

Meanwhile, Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC)’s advocacy program called “Istorya Ta Bai!” orients motorists on CCLEX’s key safety features.

Per MPTC, its business units are tapping various stakeholders to further push its mission on road safety.

NLEX Corporation has the “Usapang Driver” (a forum for drivers from bus and trucking companies), as well as “Kaligtasan sa Daan” (called “Kalsada”) for community partners and neighboring barangays.

In November 2022, NLEX and Paramount Consumer Products launched the “Nickelodeon Safety First with Paw Patrol” campaign to get the message to children as well. The safety messages can be seen on toll plaza banners and billboards along NLEX’s extensive road network until June 2023.

On the other hand, MPT South’s Bayani ng Kalsada (Bayanika) is a project that teaches children about road signs and familiarizes them with road safety measures — specifically on expressways. Since 2022, more than 800 school children from host communities have participated in it.

Further, MPTC units are also intensifying their efforts during peak travel seasons under the

During peak travel seasons and holidays, MPTC units from North to South intensify their operations under the “Safe Trip Mo Sagot Ko” initiative. The companies are deploying over 1,200 patrol crews, traffic marshals, and security teams to ensure effective traffic management along its expressways. Aside from that, emergency medical services and incident response teams are also fielded at key locations.

MPTC noted that the efforts are all aligned with the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted resolution “Improving global road safety" with the target of preventing at least 50 percent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.

Relatedly, MPTC stated that it is improving its services and providing top notch customer experience to its stakeholders. Apart from its tollways, MPTC also has the MPT Drivehub app that allows easy reloading of radio frequency identification (RFID) accounts, has real-time traffic updates for its seven expressways, and allows users to call for emergency roadside assistance round the clock.

Based on the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) data, the Philippines has an average of 345 daily fatalities caused by transport accidents.

Photos from Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation

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