DOTr signs pact to protect children from road accidents

The Department of Transportation signs a memorandum of understanding formalizing the creation of the National Coalition on Child Road Traffic Injury Prevention on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (Photo from the Department of Transportation)

MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding with various agencies formalizing the National Coalition for Child Road Traffic Injury Prevention (NC-CRTIP) to protect children from road accidents.

Bautista signed the pact during the launching of the 2023 Global Status Report on Road Safety (GSRRS).

“The goal is for road safety measures to become an integral component of different policy agendas such as child health, climate action, gender, and equality,” Bautista said in a statement.

The DOTr signed the agreement with the  Department of Education, the Department of Health, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Council for the Welfare of Children, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

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Laws, initiatives, and policies that promote road safety for adult and child road users will also lead to reduced road crashes not just in the county but all around the world.

According to the 2023 GSRRS, road traffic crashes killed over 12,000 Filipinos each year from 2015 to 2019.

The same report said that road crashes are also the number one cause of death among Filipinos aged 15 to 29.

It is also in the top 10 leading causes of death among Filipino children aged five to 14 years old.

The NC-CRTIP is a multi-sectoral partnership composed of 45 members representing national government agencies, civil society organizations, the academe, and the private sector.

The NC-CRTIP’s goal is to reduce road traffic crashes involving children, particularly those who travel to and from school.