Report: Overspeeding, mobile phone use could have caused LRT accident

Overspeeding and mobile phone use while driving are being eyed as the possible causes of the collision of two Light Rail Transit (LRT) coaches in Quezon City last week. Radio dzBB on Thursday cited the results of an initial investigation by the LRT Authority (LRTA) that the train was moving above the speed limit at the time of the accident. The investigation also showed that the driver of the train that hit the one that was parked, was allegedly looking at his mobile phone when the accident happened. Two LRT coaches figured in an accident near the reversing track in Quezon City on February 18. No one was injured because the passengers had already disembarked at the time of the accident. The initial investigation showed that one of the LRT coaches was running at 61 kilometers per hour (kph) at the time it left the Roosevelt Avenue station, 21 kph faster than the authorized 40 kph when near the mandatory stop area. The investigation also showed that the train did not stop at the mandatory stop area before the rail switch, a violation of LRT safety protocols. – VVP, GMA News