Advisers

Legeline Tumapon

Discipline

Criminology

Abstract

The growing presence of unregistered or “colorum” tricycles in Barangay 176-D Bagong Silang, Caloocan City has raised serious concerns regarding passenger safety and transport regulation. Tricycles serve as a primary mode of transportation in many densely populated communities, yet those operating without proper registration and inspection may expose passengers to mechanical defects, reckless driving, and overloading. Although transportation laws mandate vehicle registration and roadworthiness, enforcement gaps at the barangay level allow informal units to continue operating. Existing studies discuss informal transport systems, but limited localized research examines their direct safety effects from the perspectives of passengers, drivers, and regulatory personnel. This gap highlights the need for empirical evidence to support stronger enforcement and community-based interventions. Addressing this issue is timely and necessary to reduce preventable road hazards and strengthen public safety awareness. A quantitative descriptive research design was used. Seventy respondents were selected using purposive sampling, consisting of 30 passengers, 30 tricycle drivers, and 10 members of the Tricycle Regulatory Unit. Data were collected using a validated researcher-developed questionnaire with a four-point Likert scale. Statistical tools included frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), tested at a 0.05 level of significance. Respondents generally agreed that riding unregistered tricycles poses safety risks. Mechanical issues obtained a composite mean of 3.20, reckless driving 3.06, and overloading 3.15, all interpreted as Agree. ANOVA results revealed significant differences in perceptions regarding mechanical issues (p = 0.025) and overloading (p = 0.000001), leading to rejection of the null hypotheses for these variables. No significant difference was found in reckless driving (p = 0.889), indicating similar perceptions among groups. Overloading during rush hours and lack of visible driver identification were the most reported concerns. The findings confirm that unregistered tricycle operations present measurable safety risks, particularly in vehicle maintenance and passenger overcapacity. While limited to one barangay and a modest sample size, the study provides practical evidence supporting stricter enforcement, regular inspections, and sustained safety campaigns to improve community road safety practices.

Keywords

public safety, unregistered tricycle, public transporation