ROAD ACCIDENTS OCCURRED IN 2015

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has compiled a nifty report on
motoring accidents in 2015 and it looks grim compared to numbers from the previous
year.

A recorded 95,615 traffic accidents occurred last year 5,357 more than in 2014 and
it resulted in the death of 519 persons, injury to 17,103 people and a total of 77,993
cases of damage to property.

Motorcycles top the list of modes of transportation with the most number of deaths or
injuries from road accidents with 262 cases and even the non-fatal road incidents with
11,620.

Trucks with 129 and private vehicles with 125 complete the top three vehicle types that
caused death in road accidents last year while in non-fatal road accidents, private
vehicles climbed up to the second spot with 7,427 cases and public utility jeepneys
(PUJs) came in third with 2,161.

When it comes to property damage, private cars have caused the most with 83,077
cases followed by trucks with 15,737 and vans at 14,413.

A whopping 95,570 cases of the accidents were caused by human error while 29 were
due to vehicle defect and 15 cases can be attributed to poor road conditions.

37.66-percent of these accidents occurred at night while 62.33-percent happened

during daytime and the most dangerous month of the year to be on the road is
December.

Prevent accidents by taking all the precautions you can.

As they say speed thrills and also kills. Keep a rein on your speed, so that one is in
better control of the vehicle. Obey traffic rules. Traffic rules have been designed with
safety foremost in mind. Wear seat belts. Seat belts are life saving. Read caution signs:
Caution signs are very important as they warn about accident prone spots so that the
driver can reduce the speed of the vehicle. Reflectors to be used on the rear of the
vehicle. Vehicle must be in good working condition there should be no compromise on
the quality of brakes and tires. Avoid drugs and alcohol while driving. Drugs and alcohol
can slow down reflexes, disrupt accurate judgments, and cause mental alertness to dip.
Falling asleep behind the wheel has led to many grave mishaps on the road.

It is better to be safe than to be sorry

ROMY ABARCA 10-STE