The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has asked the Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the No Contact Apprehension Policy or NCAP.
MMDA chairman Romando Artes said the number of accidents has increased since NCAP was suspended in August last year.
“We really need this kind of technology (NCAP) to monitor and Implement traffic rules and regulations on Metro Manila roads,” Artes said.
From January to July this year, a total of 44,493 vehicles were involved in accidents in Metro Manila.
Of the number, 32,800 incidents resulted in damage to property, 168 were fatal, and 11,525 resulted in injuries.
Reports from the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center showed that four-wheelers were the most commonly involved vehicles in accidents, comprising about 45,000 of the total.
NCAP utilizes closed-circuit television cameras to capture videos and images to apprehend vehicles violating traffic laws, rules, and regulations.
With the no contact policy, the MMDA and local government units can enforce traffic rules using traffic management technology, including advanced camera systems powered by computer vision artificial intelligence.
The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAP in August 2022 based on a consolidated case arising from separate petitions filed by four transport groups.
