BLINKERS AND SIRENS. Land Transportation Office-7 regional director Glen Galario checks on a car in one of their operations in the past. Galario on Tuesday (Feb. 6, 2024) said they have intensified operations against private cars that are illegally installed with blinkers and sirens following the death of a student whose motorcycle was hit by a sport utility vehicle with a blinker near the Redemptorist Church on Sunday (Feb. 4, 2024). (PNA file photo)
CEBU CITY – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Central Visayas has intensified operations against private cars with illegally installed blinkers and sirens, a transport official said on Tuesday.
LTO-7 regional director Glen Galario, in a statement, said their enforcers are flagging down unmarked vehicles using unauthorized blinkers and sirens.
Under LTO and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 dated June 2, 2014, the use of sirens, blinkers, or any improper or unauthorized accessories, devices, equipment, and parts is a violation that carries a fine of PHP5,000, confiscation of the device or gadget in favor of the government, and the corresponding demerit point against the driver’s license.
The regulation only allows ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars to use blinkers and sirens.
Galario’s statement came after a civil engineering student died after the motorcycle he was driving was hit by a speeding SUV that had a blinker as shown in the close-circuit television footage along the Redemptorist Church in the uptown area here.
The car sped away after the incident, leaving Jeslar Uriel Larumbe, who was reviewing to take the board exams in April, on the road. Larumbe died while being treated in a nearby hospital.
“The LTO-7 will work closely with the authorities to identify the driver/owner of the vehicle that may have cost the life of a motorcycle driver near the Redemptorist Church in Cebu City on Sunday morning, February 4,” Galario said in a message sent to the media.
He said they cannot give any information on the drivers or owners of the vehicle that hit the student since authorities still do not have a clear copy of a CCTV.
Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Rama assured justice for Larumbe’s death, saying he already instructed the local police to dig deeper in its investigation to identify the driver of the car. (PNA)
