MANILA, Philippines - Motoring journalist James Deakin has proposed to make dash cams mandatory in all vehicles in the Philippines as a solution for the country’s traffic problem.
In a viral video posted on Tuesday, July 19, Deakin said he believes that the mandatory dash cam is the most powerful solution to solve the traffic problem. This is in line with the Department of Transportation and Communications’ (DOTC) commitment to improve vehicular traffic in the next 100 days.
“If we could remove the bad driving part, I really do believe in my heart that we could dramatically reduce the amount of traffic out there,” Deakin said.
According to Deakin, having a mandatory dash cam in all vehicles would enable citizens to report bad drivers that cause traffic problem. Using the device, a citizen can record a video of a driver behaving badly and send it to a central agency via email, Viber, Facebook, and other means. Enforcers would then look for the driver using the plate numbers gathered from the video evidence.
“If it’s going to a proper government agency, you would then effectively turn this not only into discipline but a revenue raising model,” Deakin added.
Deakin also suggested to “astronomically” raise fines for violators and use the money to pay for manpower, fund education programs including commercials, print ads and inforgraphic for motorists and eventually introduce mandatory testing for drivers.
Watch the video.
While many netizens agreed with Deakin, some said that many motorists who are not able to afford a mandatory dash cam would see it as burden.
A certain NAd Romero suggested: “Instead of a "Mandatory Dashcam" what if we make it positive and have it "Dashcam Patrollers" or whatever positive thing we can call it where not everyone is obliged but only those who are willing to participate. Online ticketing system where people can upload videos and see the progress of their complaint is I think a more priority. And when people see that the system really works (like people get apprehended or something) i think the rest will follow as they will think it as a privilege rather than a burden. Just my two cents.”
To which Deakin responded: “End of the day, rich or poor, we all have to share the road and it is up to the government to dictate a minimum safety standard. And in my humble opinion, I think a dash cam, with a starting price of around 600 pesos (not that I’d recommend something that low) is not too much to ask.”
--Mini, The Summit Express
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| Do you think mandatory dash cams would solve the traffic problem within 100 days? PHOTO CREDIT: PhilStar |
“If we could remove the bad driving part, I really do believe in my heart that we could dramatically reduce the amount of traffic out there,” Deakin said.
According to Deakin, having a mandatory dash cam in all vehicles would enable citizens to report bad drivers that cause traffic problem. Using the device, a citizen can record a video of a driver behaving badly and send it to a central agency via email, Viber, Facebook, and other means. Enforcers would then look for the driver using the plate numbers gathered from the video evidence.
“If it’s going to a proper government agency, you would then effectively turn this not only into discipline but a revenue raising model,” Deakin added.
Deakin also suggested to “astronomically” raise fines for violators and use the money to pay for manpower, fund education programs including commercials, print ads and inforgraphic for motorists and eventually introduce mandatory testing for drivers.
Watch the video.
While many netizens agreed with Deakin, some said that many motorists who are not able to afford a mandatory dash cam would see it as burden.
A certain NAd Romero suggested: “Instead of a "Mandatory Dashcam" what if we make it positive and have it "Dashcam Patrollers" or whatever positive thing we can call it where not everyone is obliged but only those who are willing to participate. Online ticketing system where people can upload videos and see the progress of their complaint is I think a more priority. And when people see that the system really works (like people get apprehended or something) i think the rest will follow as they will think it as a privilege rather than a burden. Just my two cents.”
To which Deakin responded: “End of the day, rich or poor, we all have to share the road and it is up to the government to dictate a minimum safety standard. And in my humble opinion, I think a dash cam, with a starting price of around 600 pesos (not that I’d recommend something that low) is not too much to ask.”
--Mini, The Summit Express
