May is observed as Road Safety Month. The theme for this year is “BE Safe (Behavior Enhancement on the road!).” Declared under the Proclamation No. 115-A, it aims to promote road safety and raise awareness on the health impact and economic costs involved, as well as responsible road use, as national data showed the rise of road accidents in recent years. It also highlights the devastation of road death and injury and encourages people to take action to prevent suffering that result from crashes and casualties.
It is also important to focus on safe driving habits like wearing seat belts and the keeping of speed limits. It is vital that drivers adopt safe driving habits as one moment of carelessness could end in tragedy.
The Philippine Road Safety Action Plan (PRSAP) 2011-2020’s goal is to reduce the traffic accident rate by 50% in 2020. Its overall objective is to save 600,000 lives and to prevent a commensurate number of serious injuries on the roads of Asia and the Pacific over the period of 2007 to 2015.
GOALS
- Making roads safety a policy priority
- Making road safe for vulnerable road users, including children, senior citizens, pedestrians, non-motorized vehicle users, motorcyclist, and persons with disabilities
- Making vehicles safer and encourage responsible vehicle advertising
- Improving national and regional road safety systems, management and enforcement
- Improving cooperation and fostering partnerships
- Developing the Asian Highway as a model of road safety
- Providing effective education on road safety awareness to the public, young people and drivers
How to Have a Safety Drive along Your Way?
Seat Belts Save Lives – the law requires that all vehicle occupants wear an appropriate seat belt. Wearing seat belts reduces the risk of death in motor vehicle crashes by up to 45%. Seat belts prevent 99% of occupants being ejected in a crash.
Passenger Safety Tips:
- Always wear a seat belt, even when travelling short distances.
- Fasten the lap and shoulder belt across the hips. Do not place the shoulder belt under the arm of across the face or neck.
- Check seat belts periodically to ensure proper functioning.
Child Passenger Safety – Securing your child properly reduces the risk of death and injury. Be responsible, buckle up your children.
Practice the Following Safety Rules:
- Use buckle up your children, even for a short trip.
- Use a properly installed child safety or booster seat.
- Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size.
- Do not travel with a child on your lap.
- Sharing a seat belt with a child is dangerous.
- Infants or young children should never be left unattended in a car.
- Children using seat belts should sit back against the vehicle seat with knees bending comfortably over the seat edge.
Danger Warning Signs – Warning signs can indicate any potential hazard, obstacle or condition requiring special attention.
Here are some examples of the most common warning signs:
- Congestion Sign
- Traffic Signal Ahead Sign / Traffic Control “STOP” Ahead Sign
- Slippery Road Sign/Falling Rocks Sign
- Pedestrian Crossing Sign / Pedestrian Sign
- Lane Ends Signs
Prohibitory or Restrictive Signs – Prohibitory traffic signs are used to prohibit certain types of manuevers or some types of traffic.
Here are some common examples of prohibitory traffic signs:
- Speed Limit Sign / Mass Limit Sign
- Excessive Noise Prohibited Sign / Unauthorized Vehicles Prohibited Sign
- Parking Prohibited Sign / Stopping Prohibited Sign
Priority Signs- Priority signs indicate the order in which vehicles should pass intersection points.
Here are some examples of Priority Traffic Signs:
- Stop Sign / Go Sign
- No Entry Sign / Yield to Oncoming Traffic Sign
- One-way Roadway Signs
- Yield Sign / Yield to Pedestrians Sign
Mandatory Signs – are road signs which are used to set the obligations of all traffic which use specific area of road. Unlike prohibitory or restrictive signs, mandatory signs tell vehicle driver what they must do.
Here are some common examples of mandatory signs:
- Minimum Speed Sign / Vehicles Exceeding Mass Only Sign
- Keep Left / Right Sign
- Bus only sign / Pay Toll Sign
