Road-worthy vehicles can save lives – VICOAP

Maintaining a road-worthy vehicle helps provide safety for the driver and passengers, Board Secretary of Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines (VICOAP) John Alison “Tonton” Uy said in an interview last Tuesday.

“Road accidents and road fatalities is actually what I like to call a silent killer. Statistically, it’s about 12,000 deaths every year in our country alone, and that doesn’t even include injuries or…damage to property”, Mr. Uy elaborated.

Road crashes ranked as the leading cause of death among Filipinos 15-29 years old, with 38 daily casualties, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) , citing studies from the University of the Philippines – National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS).

Although there was a decrease in 2020 due to reduced mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic, the casualty count of 7,938 in 2011 rose to 11,096 in 2021, a 39% increase, the Department of Transportation explained while referencing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista campaigned at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Regional Directors’ Conference last Thursday for the implementation of road safety measures and regulations to lessen road accidents.

“Kailangan mabawasan ‘yung road crashes [We need to lessen road crashes],” he said.

At the launch of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2028 last May 31, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Philippines Rui Paulo de Jesus, shared that if everyone participated in road safety measures, injuries and deaths could be avoided.

“Road traffic injuries are a major yet often neglected public health issue. Deaths and injuries from road crashes are preventable, and all sectors have a role to play in promoting road safety,” Mr. De Jesus said.

“Road traffic injuries are a major yet often neglected public health issue. Deaths and injuries from road crashes are preventable, and all sectors have a role to play in promoting road safety”, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Philippines Rui Paulo de Jesus said in the launch of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2028 last May 31, 2023.

The Philippine Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2028 aims to create a safer road environment and reduce deaths on the road by 35% in 2028.

“After the official release of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan, it is high time to put it in action and ensure a significant reduction of deaths on the road,” Mr. Bautista mentioned at the launch.

“After the official release of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan, it is high time to put it in action and ensure a significant reduction of deaths on the road,” DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista mentioned at the launch.

“The DOTr takes road safety seriously. Its approach is anchored on prevention. In fact, majority of transport projects are aligned towards promoting road safety”, he added.

The Philippine Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2028 consists of five pillars targeted to address and counter the ongoing problems on roads:

Road safety management

Safer road

Safer vehicles

Safer road users

Post-crash response

– Almira Louise S. Martinez