Road crash figures cited as reason for Skyway Osmena sub-400cc ban

Incidents trending towards an increase

The numbers road crash incidents related to motorcycles is on the rise, according to a document presented by Skyway O&M Corp., (SOMCO) to members of the Motorcycle Rights Organization which sought a dialogue with SOMCO. SOMCO presented a table of road crash incidents related to motorcycles dating back to 2016 to as recent as June of2019. This table summarizes the total number of crashes, injuries and even deaths on both the northbound and southbound sides of the stretch of South Metro Manila Expressway from Sales to Magallanes Interchanges.

According to SOMCO’s data, the total number of motorcycle incidents has been hovering over an average of 100 over the past three years. In 2019, while data is only up to June of this year, the total number of motorcycle-related road crashes is already at 60, more than half of the incidents last year at just halfway through the year. This is broken down to an average of 30 injuries a year, save for the 46 recorded in 2018. 2019’s records show 20 injuries as of June 2019. As for fatalities, a record of 3 deaths were recorded in 2017, while 2018 has only recorded one. As of June 2019, there already has been one death relating motorcycle road crashes.

This figure, trending towards an increase, has prompted SOMCO to enforce DOTC Department Order No. 2007-38 which only “allows motorcycles with an engine displacement of 400 cubic centimeters (cc) or more to operate within the limited access facilities (expressways).”

It is in the hopes of reducing this number of incidents that SOMCO has decided to restrict access to the disputed area for sub-400cc motorcycles.