The Department of Health urged motorists and pedestrians to be more careful on the road as it presented injury-related statistics in the last quarter of 2009. The records showed that road accidents (27.7 percent or 1,802 cases) were the leading cause behind 6,503 reported injuries in 65 hospitals across the country from August to December last year.
Here’s where most of the accidents occurred:
o Road – 41.1%
o Home – 16.7%
o Unspecified places – 33.8%
Other notable DoH facts on accidents from August to December 2009:
• Main cause: Road collisions involving motorcycle, tricycle and bicycle riders, and pedestrians. (Other leading non-road causes of injuries: mauling incidents, injuries from sharp objects, bites, burns, chemical substances, hanging and strangulation, and drowning.)
• Months of highest occurrence: December because the holiday season where travels and parties were common, and October, when the entire Luzon was hit by a series of calamities.
• Time of occurrence: Most of these incidents happened in December 2009, from 8 a.m. to 7:59 p.m.
• Gender injuries: 71.3% males, the rest females
• Nationalities of victims: 99.5 percent Filipinos, 0.5 percent, foreigners.
• Age group of victims: 60% in the 15-44 year-old bracket; 7.3% children below 5; and 2.8% elderly.
5 road safety reminders from Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral:
1. Drive within speed limits.
2. Avoid driving under the influence of alcohol or while using a cell phone.
3. Use seat belts and child restraints inside vehicles.
4. Wear helmets for motorcycle riders.
5. Obey traffic rules at all times.
(Photo: FreePhotosBank.com)
