PHL observes day remembering road accident victims

For the first time, the Philippines is observing the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims by launching a local multisectoral campaign aimed at making roads safer for drivers and pedestrians. The campaign, “Lansangang Ligtas: Buhay Higit sa Lahat" was launched Sunday in Commonwealth Market, along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Survivors and the families of victims of road accidents are set to attend the launching of the campaign, along with leaders from the government, different churches, businesses, and other stakeholders in the issue. “Road injury preys on the young, the poor, the [disabled] and other vulnerable persons," said organizers of the campaign, including several socio-civic groups like the Center for Empowering Communities (CEC), and the Diocese of Novaliches Organizers cited data from the Philippine National Police (PNP), saying that over 20,000 road accidents were recorded in 2009 — a dramatic increase of 35.24 percent from 2008 figures. Based on 2009 data on vehicles involved in local traffic accidents, motorcycles account for the highest fatality rate, comprising 24.61 percent of the total fatal accidents, organizers added. Cars, meanwhile, account for the vast majority, or 46 percent, of the vehicles involved in road accidents. Efforts to respond to road safety challenges include the call for a 100 percent use of seatbelt and helmet by 2020, and bills aiming to penalize “drunken driving" and increase sanctions against reckless drivers causing damages to persons and properties. ‘Killer highway’ In a press release, organizers of the campaign called Commonwealth Avenue the “killer highway" said the road in Quezon City has the most number of recorded fatalities and injuries from road accidents in the Philippines. Although Commonwealth Avenue ranks second to EDSA in terms of frequency of accidents, Commonwealth is the first placer when it comes to the number of fatalities and severity of injuries, organizers said. A study by the National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS) of the University of the Philippines (UP) found that 57 percent of the accidents on Commonwealth Avenue were caused by “human error, primarily by overspeeding, overtaking/excessive lane-changing, inattentiveness and aggressive driver’s behavior." “In numerous cases, however, the commission of human error is said to be highly influenced and affected by such other factors as defective road designs, overly clogged junctions and intersections, improper placement of U-turn slots and overpasses, shortage in law enforcers, and other circumstances beyond the control of the driver," the study added. ‘Global epidemic’ Based on statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), someone gets killed or seriously injured on the world’s roads every six seconds, with 1.3 million recorded deaths from road accidents each year. Of this figure, nine of 10 fatalities occur in developing nations like the Philippines. “Road injury is a worldwide epidemic comparable to malaria and tuberculosis. In fact, road injury is currently ranked as the No. 9 global killer," WHO said. The organization noted that half of the 1.3 million people who die from road traffic crashes are pedestrians, bicyclists, and people riding motorcycles, the “vulnerable road users or people who are very often not able to afford a car." The United Nations General Assembly adopted in October 2005 a resolution urging governments to mark the third Sunday of November as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. “The day was created as a means to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes and the plight of their relatives who must cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these tragic events," according to WHO. Since then it has been observed and promoted worldwide by several nongovernment organizations, WHO said. — VS, GMANews.TV