THE Department of Health (DOH) has revealed that approximately 12,000 Filipinos lose their lives in road accidents each year.
This disclosure came from DOH Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Albert Domingo during the commemoration of Road Safety Month this May.
Among the accidents are vehicle collisions, motorcycle mishaps, bicycle accidents, tricycle incidents, pedestrian accidents, and various other road-related incidents.
During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing, Domingo revealed that, according to their data, there has been a significant surge in the number of accidents. The figure rose from 7,938 road accidents in 2011 to 11,096 in 2021, with 84% of the victims being male.
Moreover, Domingo emphasized that road accidents are one of the leading causes of death not only in the Philippines but worldwide.
As a result, the DOH’s Road Safety Month aims to not only strengthen awareness and understanding but also to effect behavioral changes towards safer road usage.
Domingo added that one of the campaign’s targets is to reduce road fatalities by 35% through the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan and the Inter-Agency Technical Working Group on Active Transport. Finally, he stated that it is also the goal of the DOH to achieve zero deaths on the roads in the Philippines. (GP)
