ROAD SAFETY HIGHLIGHTED. A car landed upside-down inside a makeshift furniture shop in Tanauan, Leyte. A group of road safety advocates in Eastern Visayas has expressed alarm over rising cases of road accidents that have been killing thousands of Filipinos every year. (Photo courtesy of Road Safety Advocates of Leyte and Samar)
TACLOBAN CITY -- A group of road safety advocates in Eastern Visayas has expressed alarm over rising cases of road accidents that have resulted to thousands of deaths every year.
Lawyer Kent Favila, co-convenor of Road Safety Advocates of Leyte and Samar, said the proliferation of affordable motorcycles and leniency in the release of driver’s license have contributed a lot in the increasing number of road accidents.
“It’s alarming because every week, we have been hearing reports of deaths due to major road accidents in the region. Almost all accidents involve motorcycles since it is very easy and affordable to acquire them,” said Favila during the opening of Road Safety Month at Leyte Park Hotel here Friday.
The Department of Health reported that road traffic crashes kill over 12,000 people in the Philippines every year, making it as one of the leading causes of death in the country, especially among teenagers.
Favila said that other contributors to worsening road accidents are weak enforcement with only about 10 enforcers from the Land Transportation Office for the entire region. Poor road conditions and inadequate warning signs are the two other culprits.
“Our existing laws are more than enough to address road safety issues, but it all boils down to enforcement, education, and engineering,” Favila added.
Road safety advocates have been raising awareness on road accident prevention through forums and stronger social media presence.
Presidential Proclamation No. 115-A declares the month of May as Road Safety Month in the Philippines to promote road safety and raise awareness on the health impact and economic costs involved.
This year, the focus of this celebration is to generate demand from the public for stronger leadership for road safety worldwide.
The UN Road Safety Collaboration has developed a Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 with inputs from many partners through an extensive consultation process via meetings and the Internet. T
he Plan provides an overall framework for activities which may take place in the context of the Decade.
The Decade of Action seeks to prevent road traffic deaths and injuries which experts’ project will take the lives of 1.9 million people annually by 2020.
The Global Plan for the Decade of Action outlines steps towards improving road safety within five pillars of activity: road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users, and post-crash response.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals agreed upon by 193 world leaders also adopted a specific stand-alone target in the Health Goal to reduce road traffic fatalities. (PNA)
