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DOH: 12K Pinoys die every year due to accidents

Residents gather their belongings and recyclable materials taken from their houses, which were gutted by a fire overnight, along a road in an informal settlers area, near the south harbour port in Manila on February 8, 2017. More than a thousand houses were razed during the ten-hour fire, which left some 3,000 people homeless, according to local media. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

ABOVE all, safety first!

An average of 12,000 Filipinos die everyday due to road accidents, the Department of Health (DoH) said.

“Every year, on average, nasa mga 12,000… na Pilipino ang namamatay dahil sa banggaan, dahil sa pagtawid na nasasagasaan, at ang gumagamit ng motorsiklo, bisikleta, at pati ‘yung mga sumasakay sa tricycle,” DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said.

He said that road traffic deaths in the Philippines had increased from 7,938 in 2011 to 11,096.

Courtesy: AFP

Of the said number, 84% are males.

On the other hand, road traffic injuries ranks number 8 among the top causes of deaths worldwide.

“Ang DOH, ang pananaw niya is mag-improve, gumanda yung ating awareness, understanding, at yung attitude ng ating mga kababayan tungo sa road safety,” he said.

Courtesy: AFP

Likewise, Domingo called on the public to walk instead of riding a vehicle.

That is especially if the destination is near and there is sufficient shade to do so.

Domingo also said that they are seeking to decrease road traffic deaths by 35% by 2028 through the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan and the Inter-Agency Technical Working group on active transport.

Kiko Cueto