Every year, millions of lives have been taken due to road traffic accidents. In the Philippines alone, the World Health Organization says that about 12,000 Filipinos die on the road yearly. These deaths are very alarming thus it needs heightened interventions and cooperation from the citizens. To continue to raise awareness on the road safety, the month of May is declared as Road Safety Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 115-A to promote road safety and increase consciousness on the health impact and economic costs involved.

People have variety of reasons to go out of their homes daily, whether they leave for work, in school or buy their necessities at the mall, as well as to go on road trips with friends or even take a vacation to unwind. Whichever of these may be your reason, the most important thing you need to ensure is to be able to reach your destination safely. One best possible way to avoid road traffic accidents is to slow down whenever you are driving. Slowing down and observing speed limits appropriate for the roads are vital to make the roads safer for everyone- for children walking to school, for the elderly crossing the road, for workers driving to places of work and for every road users.

Speeding is highly dangerous. It is a precautionary rule in driving that you should maintain a large amount of distance from the vehicle in front of you, and from other vehicles going the opposite direction. The faster you drive your vehicle, the more chances of potential collision. Similarly, the faster you drive your vehicle, the less time you have to press the break. That’s why it is wise to drive slowly and safely because you will have more time to be able to decide and take action to avoid a potential collision with the other vehicles.

Furthermore, lowering your speed will also give you more control of the vehicle and more time to hit the brakes. More importantly, there should be presence of mind to prevent damage to the driver as well as its passengers.

Everyone has a role to play in making safer roads for all. During this time wherein there is an ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, more medical health workers and healthcare facilities are needed to reinforce against the virus, hence, as a citizen, if staying at home is inevitable to run errands for your urgent needs, driving safely and avoiding road traffic accidents can be one of your greatest contribution for the medical practitioners and other front liners who are most needed during this time. By slowing down, you are not only making the roads safer for your children, families and friends but you also help in saving lives.

NO I Angelica O. Pajulas