As May marks Road Safety Month, the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, May 10, called on the public to make roads safer, especially for non-motorized vehicle users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

“May is Road Safety Month. Because of Bagong Pilipinas, every life matters, the DOH invites all to move towards safe and healthy communities and better road safety outcomes, through the sustained promotion and protection of active transport. We can make our roads safer,” said DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.

As reported by the department’s Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS), road-crash-related injuries remain the “top cause” of death and injuries, especially among children and adolescents.

This was also evident in the 2023 data, where 31.1 percent of reported injuries were attributable to transport or vehicular crashes. This reflected the increasing upward trend in road crash incidents with the rise in motor vehicle usage and ownership.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also highlighted that traditional road infrastructure focused more on motorized transport and economic efficiency rather than safety, especially for non-motorized vehicle users.

“The appropriation and investment of more than 5 billion pesos in the planning and implementation of active transport infrastructure is welcome progress,” DOH said.

As progress has been seen in achieving safer streets for almost 90 percent of Filipinos who do not use cars, active transport can likely mitigate the increase of non-communicable disease (NCD) conditions like diabetes and obesity, and provide resilience to instability in fossil fuel prices, according to the department.

DOH then has affirmed working with partners to ensure pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized vehicle users are the highest priority in the hierarchy of road users.