Road safety consciousness, both among motorists and pedestrians has remained greater more than ever, much more so in our province and city which have the biggest number of registered vehicles in the region.
The need for greater road safety became a here-and-now reminder when the global and local community, spearheaded by PROJECT CARES, marked on Sunday, Nov. 15, the World Day for the Remembrance of Traffic Victims.
At the local commemoration held at the Capitol Park, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, in a speech read for him by Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz, reaffirmed the commitment of the provincial government to improve safety on roads and avert senseless injuries and deaths.
The exigent consciousness both globally and in communities are substantiated by their facts.
• Road traffic injuries are the leading causes of deaths among young people aged 5-29, most considered vulnerable – of whom are road users, pedestrians, cyclists and motorbike riders.
• As reported by the World Health Organization, about 1.3 million people die annually new due to road accidents.
• In Bacolod City, 41 persons lost their lives in traffic accidents from January to October last year with the number decreasing by half – at 20 in the first 10 months this year.
• During the same period, injuries totaled 191 in 2019 and 56 in 2020. The decrease in the 2020 record is apparently attributed to quarantine days, when vehicle use was limited due to health protocol and related restrictions.
Global programs initiative to reduce the number of deaths and injuries as reported by the United Nation “remains far from sufficient”.
As people honored the memory of their departed loved ones, we are compelled to seriously consider and act on recommendations by world authorities to check the alarming incidence of traffic victims.
These include the strengthening by government units of road safety management capacity, improvement of road infrastructure safety, continuing education of road users, enhancing the behavior of road users and improving post-crash. Just as important is the resolve to improve the plight of children on the roads and highways.
The call to generate action to ensure road safety is, indeed, urgent so that needles casualties can be curbed or avoided. – NWI
