It’s the travel season once again as more Filipinos hit the road to reach their favorite destinations this summer. For the Lenten season alone, it’s a usual sight, seeing “city warriors” going on a provincial tour for a family summer reunion grandma’s visit, or simply a road trip with their traveling buddies.
The 2010 household survey on domestic visitors (HSDV) reported that about 23.1 million Filipinos who are 15 years old and above have traveled in any place within the country from April to September 2010. A recent survey, the Agoda Family Travel Trends 2018, found that 34 percent of travelers have taken more than five family trips in the past year, with 62 percent from the Philippines claiming to have taken five or more family vacations in the past year. Moreover, 48 percent of travelers from the Philippines say that they’ve gone on trips with group of friends.
Unfortunately, the travel season is also the time of the year when road and traffic accidents become rampant. Recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that road-traffic crashes kill an average of 34 Filipinos in a day and is the main cause of death for youngsters aged 15 to 19.
According to CHEERS Inc. Vice President Sandy Montano, it is, indeed the young adult becomes the usual victim of road traffic crashes since they are very aggressive when it comes to driving. “They have the adrenaline rush, and so much energy and curiosity on how fast they can drive. Majority of vehicular accidents happen from late night to dawn when human reflexes and attention are slow due to unholy hour,” Montano said.
CHEERS Inc. is an industry leader in the emergency medical service and has been educating Filipinos in various emergency services, including road safety, for years.
“There are other factors that contribute to road accidents. One, the person behind the wheel is either drunk or under the influence of drugs. Such is the case among young people. The poor road conditions, ongoing public works, repairs and road blocks, and lack of road signs also contribute a lot to accidents,” Montano added.
Good thing we also hear of various reminders, such as “Don’t drink and drive” or “Don’t text and drive”, to name a few. Cell-phone and gadget use while driving have also contributed a lot to road accidents in recent years.
Worldwide, an estimated 1.25 million die and over 50 million are injured on road crashes annually and, by 2020, road-traffic crashes are expected to increase by 80 percent in low-and middle-income countries due to increasing motorization.
In 2011 the World Health Organization launched the “Decade of Action for Road Safety” prescribing a framework designed to curb the rising number of road-traffic injuries and fatalities in the World. Following the 2011 framework on Road Safety, the Department of Transportation spearheaded the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan (PRSAP) 2011-2020 with the goal of reducing road-traffic crashes by the year 2020.
Various individuals and organizations have also taken road safety seriously. Safe Kids Worldwide Philippines (SKWP), a non-governmental organization (NGO) working for the prevention of unintentional injuries to children aged 14 and below; addressing the issues of road traffic crashes, drowning, falls, burns and poisoning. The SKWP is a member of Safe Kids Global Network with more than 30 member countries and 400 coalitions in United Stated, and global alliance of NGOs for road safety of more than 170 members working in road safety from more than 90 countries around the world.
International organizations, like the World Health Organization, Unicef and the Asian Development Bank, have also joined hands to the worldwide United Nations Global Road Safety Week held every May.
To enforce speed management, SKWP has sought out the commitment of local governments through the SaveLives’ #SlowDown campaign as early as 2017. LGUs were tasked to promulgate appropriate ordinances in their own cities and barangays to implement speed limits.
Jesus de La Fuente, executive Director of SKWP-said road-traffic crashes have increased in the Philippines for the past several years. “Government data show transport-related crashes in the country have increased sharply from 15,572 in 2014 to 24,565 in 2016,” he said.
It is important, therefore, to implement slower speed in our roads because speed has always been a major factor in road traffic crashes. “A great portion of our road-traffic crashes, especially those that are fatal, are caused by speeding, and it has already proven that a 5-percent cut in average speed can result in a 30-percent reduction in the number of fatal road-traffic crashes. This is what we hope to achieve in this event,” De La Fuente stressed.
Based on the recent studies, when motorized traffic mixes with pedestrians and cyclists, the speed limit should be under 30 kilometers per hour.
Pedestrian safety tips
- Be extra safe while on the road. Observe the following:
- Walk. Do not run into the street.
- Look left, right and left again before crossing the street;
- Do not let the young, aged 10 and below, to cross the street alone;
- Use sidewalks;
- Walk facing road traffic if there are no sidewalks;
- Cross using available traffic and pedestrian signals;
- Dress in light colors and wear reflective material so drivers can easily see you;
- Do not walk or bike at night;
- Do not play in driveways, streets, parking lots or yards that are unfenced and near a street;
- Pay attention to signals indicating a car will be moving (rear lights, exhaust smoke, sound of motor, wheels turning);
- Use extra caution when crossing multiple-lane and high-speed streets;
- Encourage children to walk in groups;
Buckle up for safety
When you get into a car, always buckle up right away. This means locking both the lap and shoulder belts. Some cars have a shoulder belt that comes across your body by itself when the car door shuts, but the lap belt still needs to be locked in place by hand. Other cars have a lap and shoulder belt that are connected as one piece, and the whole thing needs to be locked by hand.
Older cars might have two separate belts or no shoulder belt, but just a lap belt. Whichever kind of seatbelt you come across, the directions are the same: Buckle every belt correctly.
- The lap (lower) part of the belt should be sitting low and tight across the upper part of your hips. It should never go across the upper half of your belly.
- The shoulder part of the seatbelt should fit snugly across your chest and shoulder, not under your arm or across your neck or face.
Whenever you are in the car, wear your seatbelt all the time. No matter how short the trip is—even if it’s only around the corner—you still need to buckle up. This is so important because, if the car you’re riding in gets into an accident, the seatbelt restrains you or holds you back. Even if the car is moving slowly, you can still get thrown around if you’re not wearing your seatbelt.
Air bags to the rescue
If a car with air bags is in a front-end accident, the bags burst out of the steering wheel and dashboard and blow up like big balloons. This happens very quickly—in the blink of an eye. Air bags cushion passengers during an accident to keep them from hitting the dashboard or windshield.
But even though the bags have saved many adults’ lives, kids aged 12 and under should never sit in the front that has air bags. That’s because air bags are made to protect a bigger person’s body and, when these open, it can hurt kids.
Air bags do not—and should not—take the place of seat belts. Always remember the first rule: Buckle up right away.
Child seats
And now it’s official. Children must be seated in car seats when being transported through the signing of Republic Act 11229 of the “Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act”, in February this year.
The law mandates that children below 150 centimeters (4’9″), and those aged 12 and below will not be allowed to sit in the front of a running motor vehicle. If he or she were to sit in any other seat, the child must be restrained by a child seat. Enforcement of the law will happen only one year after the implementation of the rules and regulations. Drivers who are found not complying with the law will be fined P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second, and P5,000 for succeeding offenses. Drivers who are found violating the law on the third offense onwards will also receive a one-year suspension of their driver’s license suspension.
Rules for bus rides
As with riding in a car, the best thing to do on the bus is buckle up (if the bus has seatbelts). That’s because it’s just as important to be restrained when you’re on the bus. If the bus is in an accident, the seatbelt will keep you from bouncing all over the place.
And play it cool when you’re on the bus: For kids, make sure to strictly implement this policy: No jumping, running around or throwing things. This can make it hard for the driver to concentrate, and kids might get hurt.
You have to pay attention as you’re getting off the bus, too. When you step down, hold on to the handrail and be careful that your backpack or book bag doesn’t get caught on the rail or in the door.
After you exit the bus, never walk behind it. If you have to walk in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk next to the bus for at least 10 feet (3 meters), make sure that the driver sees you and then cross. If you drop something as you cross the street, don’t ever bend down to pick it up—the bus driver might not see you. Instead, tell the driver you dropped something.
Following these simple rules means you’ll be more protected during a car or bus trip—and have more fun! So pack your bag, buckle up and get on the road!
Image credits: freepik.com