The Rotary Balita no. 601 (August 5, 1948)

Public carriers, using public streets and roads, are required, in most places, to exert greater care toward their passengers than is a private person. It is old stuff to coil attention to the reckless disregard of life and property with which jeepneys and their like are driven on the streets and roads. The drivers and owners of these vehicles can seldom pay for any damages they inflict, so they feel no sense of responsibility whatsoever. Their victims lose life and limb and families are left destitute because of the killing or crippling of the family breadwinner through wanton negligence and recklessness. All the traffic rules in the world will not stop this. The only method ever found to cut down this recklessness is to require owners and drivers of motor vehicles to carry public liability insurance so that when they are responsible for injury to persons or property some compensation can be secured by the injured persons. What happens is that if a driver has too many "accidents" he can't obtain insurance and if he can't drive without it. he won't be a menace. Thus, the worst offenders will automatically be eliminated. We suggest to our Traffic Safety committee a campaign for compulsory public liability insurance for all drivers.