Road Traffic Accident in the Philippines and things to remember when driving a vehicle especially a motorcycle.

Due to what happened recently to my nephew which cost his life and even his motorcycle (an unidentified individual “motor-nap” his PN 100110 Sniper 150 mx) I decided to write about things associated to motor vehicle most specifically involving motorcycle riders, history of accidents related to it and perhaps few of the precautions one should consider when driving a motorcycle.

It was reported that the number of deaths in the Philippines due to traffic incidents has been increasing since 2006.

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For me this is really alarming, in 2015, more than 10,000 deaths and more than 30,000 road crashed related injuries happened due to road accident, what is more worrying is that 6 out of 10 deaths involves motorcycle riders.

Although this is no surprise considering the total number of vehicles in the Philippines since more than half of the vehicles nationwide are motorcycles (of the total 8.7 million vehicles registered with the LTO in the year 2015, 4.8 million are motorcycles), this is according to the records from the Land Transportation Office.

So this is really disturbing although experts say that while road crashes are one of the top global problems, is both predictable and preventable.

Reports show that 1.25 million people around the world die due to traffic accidents so it’s not really just a problem in the Philippines.

I may not comprehend fully why it could be predicted when accidents happened unexpectedly. For me accidents happen in just a blink of an eye that is why as a driver myself I really do my best to put my 100% focus on the road.

Although I also believe that even if how careful you are while on the road but other drivers are not chances are accidents still could occur.

On the other hand accidents being preventable is clear to me. I believe there are a lot of things motorists can do in order to avoid accidents. And this is one important point I would like to share here, hoping it could at least remind drivers especially motorcycle riders to keep away from being injured or worst from dying early.

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This thoughts made me remember this funny idiom about smokers that I find could still be applied to motorists:

“Smokers don’t grow old because they die young.”

To apply this to motorists this simply means that like smokers, careless drivers don’t grow old too because there is a big chance that they could meet an accident that would lead to possibilities of dying at a young age, in fact studies sshowthat among those who died due to road accidents are within the age bracket of 15-29.

To break it down further those aged 20-24 are the most frequent victims of road crashes followed by those under 25-29 years old.

In addition, for those aged 20-24, road accident is the second leading cause of death, next to HIV/AIDS.

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Moreover, records shows that since 2010, the number of deaths due to road accidents never dipped below 8,000. And motorcycle injuries are one of the top causes of road crash deaths.
2015 is the year with the most number of road crash-related deaths with 10,012 people killed as recorded by the Philippine Statistic Authority.

The saddest fact about it is that since 2006, 500 innocent children dies every year, of course due to road traffic accidents.

Another interesting facts about road accidents is that majority of those who died are males (81.04% in 2015) and the most number of accidents happened in Luzon with 5,167 people killed followed by Mindanao and the Visayas.

Going back to the thought that Vehicular accidents could actually be prevented. Let us check what are the measures the government has implemented in order to reduce the incidents of deaths on the road.

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So the Department of Transportation has introduced a number of projects or programs with the same purpose mentioned above which is to reduce fatalities on the road.

The following are some of their projects:

1. Philippine Road Safety Action Plan (PRSAP) - is attached on the principle that while people make mistakes on the road somehow it should not lead to serious injuries or death. This principle also supports the idea that road safety is a shared responsibility and not just to the drivers alone.

2. Public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program – the government believe that this program which aims to replace PUVs running for 15 years or more with modernized PUVs that have safety features which eventually could lessen the fatalities on the road. This move by the government became a major issue and was in a way opposed by operators although for me its one best way to get away from accidents.

3. Enforcement of Republic Act (RA) No. 10916 or the Speed Limiters Act. I find this as one effective way to reduce the number of deaths on the road and I bet you all would agree. Over speeding could lead to unfortunate accidents.

4. Walkways – The government will be investing about P7 billion to build walkways around Metro Manila this year. I hope this will also be applied in the provinces. According to a WHO report, 53% of reported road traffic fatalities are motorized riders, while pedestrians make up the second biggest chunk of road user deaths at 19%. So this calls for the need to build more walkways not only in Metro Manila but also in the provinces.

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Now I will end up this article with these few things drivers should remember while on the road especially motorcycle riders, in order to get away from road accidents:

1. Don’t drive while under the influence of liquor – Filipinos tend to enjoy drinking hard liquor and still drive when drunk. This is one major cause of accidents that is why it is better not to drive anymore when one is already under the influence of liquor.

2. Don’t text or call while driving – Drivers should put their 100% focus on the road, a few seconds spent on texting could lead to an accident.

3. Don’t ever exceed the specified speed limit. – There is a big difference when you are speeding and when you drive moderately if you want to avoid something like being bumped into another vehicle or a pedestrian. The slower speed the better.

DRIVE SAFELY EVERYONE!

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