Because motorists now consider traffic lights as virtual “Stop” signs during power outages, Department of Public Safety traffic section chief Paul Ogumoro said there have been no serious road accidents at intersections.
“We have seen that motorists drive with caution when reaching intersections when the traffic lights are out. We ask you to continue doing the same until the power returns to normal to avoid accidents,” Sergeant Ogumoro said.
“We urge motorists to exercise courtesy, respect, and attentiveness when driving a vehicle, and continue treating traffic lights as a stop sign or a U-turn sign even when the power is off,” he said.
According to Ogumoro, due to its shortage of manpower, DPS cannot deploy traffic cops to all intersections.
“We will prioritize the major intersections, but please don’t expect traffic police to stand in the middle of the road at night or during the rain to direct traffic because it could be too risky for our cops,” he added.
Police Division Commander Lawrence Camacho hopes that the Police Academy will finish its classes before the Christmas season.
“Classes at the Police Academy usually last for about three months, we hope that by then the graduates will be able to assist us especially with the coming holiday season,” Captain Camacho said.
The classes started last week for 36 fire and police cadets.
“The trainees will undergo on the job training and we need their help to augment the manpower of DPS,” Camacho said.
