Stop kidding about road safety

Last Monday, the first installment of the 21.49 million school children (excluding senior high school and higher education students) began their deluge into campuses nationwide. This of course means that, combined with the rain, traffic will be as unbearable as one of Senator Santiago’s speeches. 

But as toxic an issue as traffic is, and believe me I could fill up this entire motoring section just ranting about it, it pales in comparison to the urgent need to address child safety in our vehicles and of course within school zones. 

After spending about a third of my professional life traveling, it never fails to amaze me just how little importance is given to child safety in vehicles across the Philippines. We will pull out an umbrella in the sun to protect their skin from the rays, or hang a towel on the back of their shirt to soak up the sweat, but many parents have no issue allowing then to travel 15-20 times faster than God ever designed a human to go, wearing nothing but a smile and Johnson’s baby cologne.

I’m not trying to say that vehicle safety is just restricted to children, of course, but one can argue that a fully grown adult should be capable of making intelligent decisions behind the wheel or as a passenger, while a young impressionable mind relies solely on our example as parents, or the public utility drivers that ferry them from A to B. And not enough is being done about that, obviously.

If you go by the recently released ADB report last April, data obtained from the Public Works department, the MMDA and the PNP Highway Patrol Group reported that 1,833 people were killed while approximately 29,000 others were injured in the 85,820 road accidents that were recorded last year.

More alarmingly, perhaps, is that road accidents were recorded to be the second leading cause of death among children at 5.85 per 100,000 according to a Philippine National Injury Survey some time ago.

And if that hasn’t spilled your coffee yet, try mixing this in your cereal: Safe Kids Philippines, a global NGO dedicated to the prevention of unintentional injuries to children, says an average of six children die and 416 children are injured in road traffic crashes daily in the country. That is 422 too many. 

So how can we address it? Well, it’s not rocket science. It’s a lot harder. Because it means having to slip back into that enigma we call enforcement. But let’s give it a try anyway, shall we? 

First things first. Seatbelts. It is the most basic, yet effective tool in reducing fatalities or serious injuries in motor vehicle accidents, yet many people will place more importance on it not crumpling their clothes than they would crumpling their lives, or the lives of the loved ones left behind. 

It is such an effective and simple tool, that Volvo, who invented the first 3-point seatbelt back in 1959, chose to share the invention with every manufacturer, despite holding the patent for it. Heck, you only need to look at how little it has evolved from its original design to know that it is perhaps the greatest safety feature ever invented. Next to brakes, of course.

 But just like a helmet, it’s pointless unless you’re wearing one, so public utility vehicles, school buses, taxis and any form of motorized transportation should have signs clearly displayed, complete with the published penalties for the driver if a passenger is caught without a belt. This should be doubled if the passenger is under 16. By fining the driver, you put the pressure on him/her to make sure everyone is belted up.

Also, as convenient as it may seem, please never allow babies to be carried by someone in a moving car. It may seem safer to some, but bear in mind that at a speed of only 40 kph, a child who normally weighs only 20 pounds will suddenly weigh approximately 734 pounds in the event of a collision with an unyielding object. Are you sure your yaya is that strong?

According to a study by Volvo, who need no introduction in the world of safety, babies and children are especially fragile passengers because (aside from the obvious) relative to the rest of their bodies, their heads are large and heavy. The head of a nine-month-old baby, for instance, makes up a quarter of its total weight; in comparison, the head of an adult male is only 6 percent of his total body weight—although judging by the way some people drive, I’m willing to put money on a few of them falling below 1 percent. But I digress.

The Volvo report also points out that a baby’s head is quite different in other ways too. If a baby or child suffers head injuries, this can often cause brain damage, rather than the facial injuries that an adult is likely to receive. Head injuries in babies are frequently more severe because their skulls are thinner than an adult’s, providing less protection for the brain. So please, keep them properly belted up, and in approved child seats for their age.

Next up, speed limits. Yes, I know that there are already speed limits around the schools, courtesy of congestion, but I’m talking about in between starting time and dismissal times. There should be very strict speed limits with flashing yellow lights around the posted signs during school hours. 

Also, while we’re at it, aside from 3-point seatbelts for every seat, every school bus should be fitted with a speed limiter and GPS device that alerts the base if it tries to speed. These are very inexpensive these days, and should be mandatory with a franchise, and just to be certain that it’s being maintained, school buses should be inspected once a year as part of the renewal process for their registration and must pass a minimum road worthiness test—which should include inspection of  seatbelts, tires, brakes, steering columns, and other basic safety features.

Road safety is everyone’s concern. And according to an unofficial study by me, conducted 22 mins ago, awareness is 90 percent of the problem solved. Now that you’re aware, let’s work on the other 10 percent. What do you say? Email me at [email protected] I could use the help.

**Just minutes before firing off this column to my editor, a very timely bit of news landed in my inbox. Safe-T-Ryders, which is a driver safety training center established by Arnel Doria, a respected marketing executive who played a major role in establishing Honda as a leading car brand in the Philippines, has just finished conducting a customized training program for the school bus drivers of La Salle Greenhills. The course, which was supported by former LTO chief and now executive director of Philippine Global Road Safety Partnership, Alberto Suansing, focused on safety awareness, defensive driving as an attitude and mindset. Traffic rules, road signs and markings. Right of way rules. Vehicle dynamics. Factors affecting driving and duties and responsibilities of school service operators. Well done, guys. And to think I thought I was just screaming into the abyss. **