Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista (from left to right), United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt, and UN Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez during a press briefing at the UN House Manila in Mandaluyong City on Thursday (April 13, 2023). (Photo courtesy of UN Philippines)
MANILA – United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt on Thursday highlighted the need for increased vigilance to fight the growing number of road traffic fatalities across the world.
During a press conference at the UN House Manila in Mandaluyong City, Todt said Southeast Asia is one of the world’s regions “most affected by road crashes.”
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Southeast Asia has the second highest road traffic fatality rate of 20.7 per 100,000 population after Africa, which is 26.6 per 100,000 population,” he said.
In particular, the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018 showed an increasing trend in road traffic deaths in the Philippines with a fatality rate of 12.3 per 100,000 population—compared to a fatality rate of 9.3 per 100,000 population in Europe.
"South-East Asia faces a tragedy on the roads. However, solutions exist, combining policy enforcement and education. Simple gestures can also save lives, such as wearing a seatbelt or a helmet, not driving under influence, not texting while driving, or reducing speed," he said.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista, during the conference, said that the department's infrastructure projects and transport initiatives are aligned with the goal of promoting road safety and reducing road traffic deaths and injuries.
Bautista cited data that shows around 11,000 deaths are recorded annually in the Philippines because of road crashes due to drunk driving, over speeding, texting while driving, and human error.
"Our approach is anchored on prevention. Our targets are the drivers, passengers, pedestrians, other road users, and the vehicles," he said.
The Philippine Road Safety Plan for 2023 to 2028, he said, contains various components that would intensify road safety education in the country.
Such an information campaign, he said, would start with the issuance of driver’s licenses by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and expanding motor vehicle inspection from emission to testing the whole vehicle for safety.
He said one of the major initiatives of the DOTr is the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), which seeks to upgrade the old and smoke-belching jeepneys with safer and more environment-friendly vehicles.
He also mentioned other projects that aim to improve road safety, such as the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) Busway, EDSA Greenways, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and active transport projects such as bike lanes.
Todt is visiting the Philippines from April 11 to 14 to advocate for the effective implementation of the UN’s Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to halve the number of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
Todt will meet with government officials, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss solutions on how to make roads safer for everyone, especially for the most vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and public transport passengers. (PNA)
