“DRIVE SAFE. THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN”

There is an average of 34 deaths a day due to road crashes in the Philippines. From 2010 to 2016 alone, 108 deaths have been recorded along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. 3,191 persons were injured and over 11,000 properties were damaged all because of road crashes. Commonwealth Avenue is considered the deadliest highway in Metro Manila.

Bus crashes are one of the most painful tragedies in the Philippines. In the last 5 years alone, almost 2 thousand deaths are attributed to bus crashes.

Last Sunday, road safety advocates and concerned government agencies commemorated the lives of those who died because of road crashes. The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is celebrated every third Sunday of November. It began in 1995 in Europe and has been adopted by the United Nations in an effort to remind everyone of the tragedy caused by road crashes where lives are snuffed violently.

Members of the traffic enforcement teams of the DOTr, MMDA and PNP attend the Day of Remembrance For Road Crash Victims at UP Town Center in Diliman Quezon City. (photo Ira V. Panganiban)

Representatives from the different agencies of the Department of Transportation, The Philippine National Police and Non Government Organizations joined a simple ceremony at the UP Town Center in Quezon City. The program began with a motorcade that went around Katipunan to Commonwealth Avenue and back to the UP Town Center.

“I was a victim of road crash also. I was sideswiped in Davao when I was in Grade 5,” says LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra.

“I was a victim of a road crash when I was in Grade 5 in Davao City,” says LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra. (photo Ira V. Panganiban)

One testimony that caught our attention was LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra‘s. Surprisingly, Delgra was a victim of a road crash.

“When I was about Grade 5, I used to walk 3 kilometers from home to school and back. I wanted to save my money so I refrained from taking the jeep. One day, a car just swiped me from the side and sent me tumbling down the road. I suffered head injuries and some bruises,” Delgra narrated.

“There are 2,000,000 potential weapons on the road,” says DOTr Usec Thomas Orbos. (photo Ira V. Panganiban)

DOTr Undersecretary Tim Orbos delivered the direst warning in his speech. He said “there are 2 milli0n potential weapons” on the road today, referring to motor vehicles in the hands of ignorant, undisciplined or simply careless drivers.

“There are 2 million potential weapons on the roads today,” says DOTr Undersecretary Thomas Orbos.

And while the warning of Orbos is indeed scary, Transportation Undersecretary Arnulfo Fabillar said this could be addressed by traffic enforcers. But Fabillar asked traffic enforcers, many of whom were in the crowd, to follow traffic rules.

“How can you make people follow the rules if you don’t follow them. If you tell them to wear their seatbelts, wear your seatbelts. If you want them to follow traffic rules, you yourselves must follow traffic rules,’ Fabillar said.

Safety Kids Advocate Jesus Dela Fuente decried the low safety rating of our roads, only one star, two at most. (photo Ira V. Panganiban)

Safety Kids advocate Jesus dela Fuente meanwhile scored the country’s infrastructure. Dela Fuente said our roads mostly have a one or two star safety rating. This is very low and dangerous for motorists. He said the biggest victim of this condition are the children, both on the road and in the car.

For PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) Director P/CSupt. Arnel Escobar, speeding is the main root of most road crashes. “Too many cars go too fast causing horrendous accidents,” he said.

For the PNP, speeding is the main cause of road crashes. “Too many cars going too fast,” says PNP HPG Director P/CSupt. Arnel Escobar. (photo Ira V. Panganiban)

“Speeding is the main cause of road crashes,” reveals PNP High way Patrol Group Director P/Chief Supt. Arnel Escobar.

And while the ceremony was spartan, the message it sent was a clear and very important one. That in today’s world, where a motor vehicle is part of everyday lives, it can also be one of the most dangerous.

Representatives of victims of road crashes say individual prayers for the victims. (photo Ira V. Panganiban)

Because it is how we use it that determines its purpose. If we drive responsibly, cars will serve us well, other wise, it can take a life.

As the old road safety slogan used to say, let us drive safely and responsibly, because the life we save may be our loved ones or even our own.

Kids are the most vulnerable on the road. (photo Ira V. Panganiban)