DOH urges stricter traffic law enforcement as road crash injuries double during holidays
By Jel Santos
(MB FILE PHOTO)
The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, Jan. 5, called for stricter enforcement of traffic laws following a sharp rise in road crash injuries recorded during the recent holiday season.
“Panawagan ng DOH ang mas mahigpit na implementasyon ng mga batas trapiko dahil sa mataas na kaso ng road crash injuries na itinakbo sa mga sentinel hospitals ng DOH nitong holiday season (The DOH is calling for stricter implementation of traffic laws due to the high number of road crash injuries brought to DOH sentinel hospitals during the holiday season),” the agency said.
The DOH reported that road crash injuries reached 1,384 cases nationwide from Dec. 21 to 5:00 a.m. of Jan. 5.
The figure represents a 100-percent increase compared to the 690 cases recorded during the same surveillance period from 2024 to 2025, the health department noted.
The DOH said 647 cases, or 47 percent of the total, involved youth aged 15 to 29 years old.
In separate incidents resulting in fatalities, the agency noted that seven out of 10 deaths involved motorcycle riders, six of whom were not wearing helmets.
Three of the recorded fatalities involved pedestrians, it added.