We made a long day trip to San Fernando, La Union from Manila and back. Out of curiosity, I made a tally of the vehicles that made us slow down from 40-80 km/h to 10-30 km/h in a national highway. Here are the breakdown:
Type of vehicle Manila to La Union La Union to Manila Average
1. Tricycles 43 40 41.5 (53% of total)
2. Jeep 1 2 1.5
3. kuliglig 1 2 1.5
4. trucks 16 15 15.5 (20% of total)
5. FX/van 2 3 2.5
6. buses 3 6 4.5
7. motorcycle (single) 6 10 8 (10% of total)
8. car 1 6 3.5
Total 73 84 78.5
An average of 78.5 vehicles has forced us to slow down per trip. We need to exercise caution in overtaking these slow vehicles as most portion of the national highways does not allow overtaking (double yellow line or busy oncoming traffic). More than half (53%) of road hazards of this type are tricycles along national highways. Trucks comes second as these comprised 20%. Motorcycles came third as 10% are motorcycles.
If you will multiply these number to the thousands of vehicles using the national highways that were compelled to hit the break and slow down, then accelerate again, you would get a fair idea of the fuel, break lining and time wasted. I can only surmise that the amount is huge. This unnecessary economic loss is more than enough to build another lane for slow moving vehicles along national highways, so these vehicles will not pose hazards to themselves and to other motorists. Aside from improving road safety, it will increase the efficiency of our roads, and the productivity of local businesses. Do we still need a more detailed study on this?
Turn ON your lights
Research found that turning the vehicles' lights on can prevent accidents.
In Canada, the authorities made it a requirement for vehicles to automatically turn the lights on once the motor engine starts running. So day and night, vehicles running the streets have their lights ON. It is safer because you can easily recognized vehicles. Canada is quick to adopt such a helpful research finding, and undoubtedly saves many lives and limbs.
In the Philippines, a research finding like this would surely take the usual snail's pace before this can be implemented. Many lives may have to be shed before policy makers can appreciate the urgency of such move. So, on our own, let us do this voluntarily. Let us turn ON our lights. Why not? It does not need a law to do that out of own free will. In the same way, no law prevents us from turning ON our vehicles' lights. We just want to make our roads a little safer for all of us.
BTW, it is not a waste of electricity if we turn the lights ON, even during daytime.
So turn your lights ON! Let others see the lights of day. The life you saved maybe your own.
Adopt a 'Drive, don't drink; Drink, don't drive' Policy
Driving under the influence of alcohol has been identified as one of the major causes of road accidents. However, this is one violation that is difficult to implement in the Philippines. One reason is that the law requires to prove that certain level of alcohol in the blood has been reached by the driver. Secondly, the penalty is too light for the gravity of the offense, which include endangering the lives of others.
It is high time for our lawmakers and policy makers to act and change this iniquitous law. Let us adopt a 'if you drink, don't drive - if you drive, don't drink' policy. Alcohol and driving don't mix. If they do mix, it's fatal. Any sign that a driver has taken alcohol should be enough to put him/her in jail to preclude any accident. And since the possible outcome of this violation is death, this offense should be criminalized as it is a wilful act, not just a mere traffic violation, and the offender must be meted at least 90 days of community service (to offset the social cost that may have suffered by the public) and a fine of P20,000, for the first offense. The penalty should be doubled if the violation is incurred again. The penalty should be stiff enough so that risk taking (not to obey the law) may not be resorted to anytime. But all of these are futile if the law enforcement agencies are not implementing the law consistently.
UN Decade of Action for Road Safety
The United Nations has proclaimed the period 2011-2020 as the 'Decade of Action for Road Safety' with the aim of stabilising and then reducing global road deaths by 2020.
In the Philippines, we earnestly hope that we can muster enough political will to push this campaign and save lives and limbs of our citizens, especially the most vulnerable sector like children and the poor. Let us join hands to make sure that proper legislation will be enacted to replace the antiquated traffic code, which was promulgated when there were still very few vehicles in our urban areas.
In the Philippines, we earnestly hope that we can muster enough political will to push this campaign and save lives and limbs of our citizens, especially the most vulnerable sector like children and the poor. Let us join hands to make sure that proper legislation will be enacted to replace the antiquated traffic code, which was promulgated when there were still very few vehicles in our urban areas.
'Vaccines' for Roads
Make Roads Safe (2):
The 'vaccines' for the road injury epidemic are available. We know how to reduce road deaths, and in most industrialised countries road deaths have been cut by at least half over the past 30 years, even as the number of vehicles has increased dramatically. Improved road design and a focus on pedestrian safety, safer vehicles, motorcycle helmets, seat belts, action on drink driving, driver training and licensing and tackling speed – this is how road deaths can be reduced. The missing ingredient is political commitment to take action"
The 'vaccines' for the road injury epidemic are available. We know how to reduce road deaths, and in most industrialised countries road deaths have been cut by at least half over the past 30 years, even as the number of vehicles has increased dramatically. Improved road design and a focus on pedestrian safety, safer vehicles, motorcycle helmets, seat belts, action on drink driving, driver training and licensing and tackling speed – this is how road deaths can be reduced. The missing ingredient is political commitment to take action"
A Neglected Issue: Road Safety
Make Roads Safe (2):
The international community has failed to respond to this epidemic. Global road safety is largely ignored and neglected by politicians. This neglect means that developing countries are unable to receive the financial support and technical advice they need to improve road safety in their countries. And while road deaths in the rich world are falling, deaths in the developing world are rising fast."
The international community has failed to respond to this epidemic. Global road safety is largely ignored and neglected by politicians. This neglect means that developing countries are unable to receive the financial support and technical advice they need to improve road safety in their countries. And while road deaths in the rich world are falling, deaths in the developing world are rising fast."
Child Killer
Make Roads Safe (2):
Road crashes are the leading global cause of death for young people aged 10-24, and by 2015 are predicted to be the leading cause of premature death and disability for children in developing countries aged five and above. Already, according to Unicef and the WHO, 260,000 children die and another 10 million are injured in road crashes every year."
Road crashes are the leading global cause of death for young people aged 10-24, and by 2015 are predicted to be the leading cause of premature death and disability for children in developing countries aged five and above. Already, according to Unicef and the WHO, 260,000 children die and another 10 million are injured in road crashes every year."
Road Traffic Injuries: A Global Epidemic
Make Roads Safe (2):
Every 6 seconds someone is killed or seriously injured on the world's roads. With 1.3 million road deaths each year this is a global epidemic comparable to Malaria or Tuberculosis. And like those killer diseases, road crashes prey on the young, the poor and the vulnerable. Yet by comparison to other global killers, road injury is utterly neglected."
Every 6 seconds someone is killed or seriously injured on the world's roads. With 1.3 million road deaths each year this is a global epidemic comparable to Malaria or Tuberculosis. And like those killer diseases, road crashes prey on the young, the poor and the vulnerable. Yet by comparison to other global killers, road injury is utterly neglected."
Causing Poverty
Make Roads Safe (2)
Nine in ten road deaths and injuries are in developing countries. The economic cost to these countries is estimated by the World Bank at up to US $100 billion a year (equivalent to all annual overseas aid from OECD countries). Research in India and Bangladesh has shown that at least half of families affected by a road death or serious injury fall below the poverty line. The poorest communities are the worst affected, in rich countries and developing countries alike. Pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users are the majority of those killed and injured"
Nine in ten road deaths and injuries are in developing countries. The economic cost to these countries is estimated by the World Bank at up to US $100 billion a year (equivalent to all annual overseas aid from OECD countries). Research in India and Bangladesh has shown that at least half of families affected by a road death or serious injury fall below the poverty line. The poorest communities are the worst affected, in rich countries and developing countries alike. Pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users are the majority of those killed and injured"
Abolish one penalty for several traffic violations
Many are not aware that we are implementing a perverted policy of imposing single penalty for multiple traffic violations in a day. The most serious offense is penalized, while the rest of the traffic violations are ignored or excluded in the assessment of fines. For example, if a driver is cited for several violations like reckless driving, illegal parking, over-speeding and illegal loading/unloading, only the one that imposes the heaviest fine, that is reckless driving, is fined. This absolves all other minor violations, no matter how many are these. One penalty covers all other violations.
This is a perverted policy because it encourages violations. A driver who has been cited for a major traffic violation is bound to commit many other equal or minor traffic violations. This is what is happening in many public utility vehicles (PUV) that are plying our roads. Have you not wonder why PUV drivers can stay at will in prohibited zones to pick up or unload passengers, or drive recklessly all day?, even to the consternation of other motorists. PUV drivers who have learned this trick even buy traffic violation tickets from wicked and conniving law enforcers to exempt them from many other traffic violations that they are about to commit.
Our government should abolish this current perverted policy if they want to improve safety in our roads, and the well-being of our citizenry. It will also increase government revenue, as well as the responsibility of drivers. Let violators pay all the costs of violations that they willfully incurred, in accordance with "Violator's Pay Principle" of sustainable development.
Road Hazard: Unqualified drivers
Our roads are populated by unqualified drivers but were given license to drive anyway. If you are careful and obey traffic rules and regulations, chances are your will be likely hit by an ignorant or reckless drivers. These are people who are licensed by the LTO but are not really fit to drive, or otherwise their licenses are fakes. They obtained their driver license by cheating the exam. If you will ask, how many are these type of drivers, your guess is as good as mine. If you got your license from fixers that mill around any LTO office or branch, then you will have a chilling conclusion that they are so many. Remember the 'codigo' he gave you to answer the test, and the reminder not to perfect all your answers. The results of this pernicious practice are self evident: drivers who can not read or understand traffic signs, drivers who do not comprehend road-right-of-way, drivers who obstruct lanes, drivers who do not use signal lights before turning direction or changing lane, drivers who stay at overtaking lane, and so on. That is one of the recurring reasons why our roads are not safe, and road accidents happen very often.
DOTC-LTO should not tolerate cheating in driver tests, as well as the proliferation of fixers around LTO offices. In turn, we as private citizens, should spurn this evil practice, otherwise all of us will lose in the end, either our lives, limbs or our property. It is just a matter of time.
The road to a safer Philippines begins with qualified licensed drivers. Not all of us should drive, especially those who are not trained and competent to do so - they are hazards to themselves, to their loved ones, to us, to everyone in their path. Let's remove them from the streets by revoking their license. But first, the government should clean up the driver test system.
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