Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Highway Patrol Group (HPG), a unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP), started training on the use of the on-site traffic accident report app called Police Accident Report Kit (PARAK) as the agency will start using it on Thursday (October 8).
HPG director Chief Supt. Arnold Gunnacao said that the app will significantly reduce the time needed to clear vehicular road accidents.
The app’s developer, Galileo Software Services Incorporated, said PARAK digitizes the creation of a traffic accident police report. Using a mobile gadget, PARAK allows HPG personnel to generate the necessary photos that insurance companies require.
A police report and a photo of the incident are the basic requirements of insurance companies in order for an insured vehicle owner to file claims.
The app developer added that the HPG can use the 3G-enabled tablets, which are connected to a central database, to immediately upload all information garnered at the accident site. It already donated eight tablets to the HPG and will allow the use of the application and database service for free.
’30 road accidents a day’
Around 30 vehicular accidents occur on EDSA in a day, according to Gunnacao. This causes traffic build-up, especially during rush hour.
The HPG identified accidents as the main cause of gridlock.
Related: HPG: Stalled vehicles, accidents now main causes of gridlock
Gunnacao explained that resolving traffic-related accidents take time, as the law requires a police investigator to be at the scene of the accident to write down the report and draw sketches. Only after all these are done that the vehicles involved can be moved.
With the app, the HPG chief said that completing the process can be cut short to around five minutes from the previous system which could take four hours.
