HELMET SAVES LIVES. Most motorcycles parked in one of the malls in Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday (Nov. 15, 2023) have helmets on them. A City Councilor is pushing for the repeal of an ordinance that eases the use of helmet in certain areas in the city, following an accident that killed his son. (PNA photo by Nef Luczon)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The City Council is seeking to repeal an ordinance that relaxes the use of motorcycle helmets here.
In a statement Wednesday, 1st District Councilor Roger Abaday said he wants Ordinance No. 14421-2022 repealed following the Oct. 25 mishap that killed his 22-year-old son.
The measure in question eased the enforcement of helmet use in certain areas of the city in Poblacion, uptown, and certain sites, while setting a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour for motorcycle riders.
The eased helmet law was enacted in response to the drive-by shootings by motorcycle-riding assailants who wore full-face helmets to hide their identities.
Abaday's son, Ed Satur, was not wearing a helmet when he died in a motorcycle accident on the diversion road in Barangay Kauswagan.
He said the city should also enact a "no helmet, no travel" policy.
"The doctor (who examined my son) and (the traffic investigator) asked us if my son wore a helmet (during the accident). The relaxation of traffic safety measures, particularly the mandatory wearing of safety helmets, poses a significant risk to public safety,” he said.
Meanwhile, Councilor Edgar Cabanlas, the author of Ordinance No. 14421-2022, agreed that the measure should be repealed.
"We scheduled next Monday’s session (for deliberation on the ordinance) to clarify the ordinance didn’t allow riders to wear helmets. The riders can still wear helmets provided that their faces can be seen," he said. (PNA)
