DOH: 12,000 killed on roads each year

CAR ACCIDENTS KILL The driver of this sedan fell asleep along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on April 30, causing himto hit a post. The driver survived. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

An average of 12,000 Filipinos are killed every year in mishaps on the road, like car crashes and pedestrians getting hit by speeding vehicles.

In an interview on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, Albert Domingo, assistant secretary and spokesperson for the Department of Health (DOH), lamented that fatalities in road accidents went up by 39 percent in 10 years from 2011 to 2021.

“Road traffic deaths in 2011 were 7,938. This went up to 11,096 in 2021. Of these deaths, 84 percent were males. Road accidents are a major cause of deaths of children in the Philippines,” Domingo said.

He added: “On average, 12,000 Filipinos die in car crashes, or when a pedestrian gets hit while crossing the street, or when the accident involves motorcycles, tricycles and bicycles. We are all vulnerable road users.”

Domingo made the remarks as the agency marked the month of May as Road Safety Month.

He noted that mishaps on the road ranked eighth among the top causes of death all over the world.

He said 54 percent of road mishap fatalities were pedestrians, bicycle and motorcycle riders while 93 percent of deaths due to road accidents were found in low and middle-income nations like the Philippines.

1.35M killed globally

“Around 1.35 million people are killed in accidents on the road worldwide, this is why it’s a road safety issue,” he said.

In the Philippines, the DOH is implementing the Philippine Road Safety Plan to decrease deaths due to road accidents by 35 percent in the next four years, or by 2028.

Road safety plan

This objective is expected to be achieved by improved road safety management and faster post-crash emergency response to victims of road accidents, among others.

“The DOH wants to improve our awareness, understanding and attitude of our countrymen toward road safety, and to improve our state of health by choosing active transport,” Domingo said.

He urged Filipinos to choose active transport—to walk or ride a bicycle instead of riding a vehicle if their destination is near and if there is enough shade from the sun on the streets.

“That was one of the silver linings of the pandemic. Many chose to ride bicycles so more Filipinos chose healthy lifestyles and avoided traffic jams. Our vision is a Philippine society with zero deaths on the road,” Domingo said.