The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is embarking on an aggressive road safety campaign designed to achieve the goal set by the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos to lower road accidents by at least 35 percent by 2028.
LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II said the advocacy dubbed “STOP ROAD ACCIDENT!” shall focus on information dissemination and strict enforcement of traffic laws in collaboration with local government units and other government agencies.
“Every accident occurring on the road should not only be just a statistic, especially if it results in the death and serious injuries of a motorist or any road user,” he said. “A road accident has a huge effect on the family of every victim. The impact is doubly hard if the victim is the breadwinner.”
Citing data from the World Health Organization, the LTO said 1.3 million people die in road accidents around the world, while between 20 million to 50 million sustain injuries, including those resulting in permanent disability.
A separate United Nations data disclosed that around 58 percent of the 1.3 million fatalities in worldwide road accidents happen in the Asia-Pacific region, it noted. In the Philippines, an average of 32 people die every day as a result of road accidents, according to the UN data.
Mendoza said all LTO personnel were instructed to maximize information dissemination with the use of social media, citing these platforms among the most practical approaches to reach as many Filipinos.
They will also coordinate with local government units and other law enforcement agencies, particularly the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Philippine National Police.
“Our goal is to craft policies and strategies to make all roads in the country safe for all road users, with emphasis on strict enforcement of traffic regulations,” Mendoza said.
The campaign to reduce road mishaps is in line with the advocacy of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista to ensure the safety of all road users.
The LTO chief said “STOP ROAD ACCIDENT!” also necessitates a whole-of-government approach in terms of making public infrastructure safe for road users.
