There are at least two vehicles in a major highway in the Philippines get involved in an accident every hour. - 80 % of road accidents are caused by avoidable human error. 64 % of drivers said vehicle malfunction due to neglect of machinery is to be blamed for road accidents; 22 % said they were involved in a road accident due to failure to follow traffic rules. Road accident in the country is the second leading cause of unnatural deaths in the country, seven are killed daily or 2,555 a year and injuries to 400 every day or 146 K a year. There are Two Million Vehicles registered in Metro Manila alone! (Based on the 2010 Philippine Census) Road safety education is a long-term process and it has many aims. We should always remember that as road users we make mistakes, we forget and we fail to notice many things when we are walking and driving. Traffic education should focus on these behavioural human factors. Practicing in traffic is of great importance in order to achieve effective learning methods. Understanding the why´s and the how´s is far more important than simply learning the rules by heart. Pointing out danger spots in the community is also an effective approach into teaching traffic regulations. The challenge is to make 500K individuals be aware, spread and follow the “Road Safety Pledge”. How? Just visit our fan page, read, and take the pledge to drive safely and promise to also click “Like” and “Share” so it will appear in your FB wall. Our administrator will update the fan page to keep you abreast with the latest development on road safety education, technology and laws such as the recently signed DUI (Driving under the influence) law. Here’s the Math for our desire campaign result, if 5,000 friends and their family members will take the pledge and commit to encourage (physically and virtually) 10 of their friends and relatives who will in turn tap 10 others. The 500,000 pledges and will translate to ¼ of the total vehicles registered in Metro Manila. Hopefully reduce road accidents and deaths by ¼ or 36,500 less injuries a year and 639 less deaths a year! Epilogue At the start of Rotary Year 2013-2014 under the Presidency of Cesar Hernandez, he challenged the membership to come up with a Timeless, Cost Effective and a Unique but very Relevant project. In our planning session, Director Herbert Tuason responded by proposing this meaningful project which was eventually approved by the board and the Automotive Association Philippines (AAP) our new Partner in Service without copyright violation. Eventually, the members chose to share this project at no cost with the other clubs in our District 3810 headed by District Governor Karen Tamayo. By starting our awareness campaign with our Rotary Family, during last August 5, 2013 Area Meeting at the Island Cove Resort in Kawit, Cavite. We presented the project to the First Class President of Manila, Pasay, Cavite and a few Mindoro Clubs. It was an overwhelming success as all Club Presidents signified their approval in adopting/ supporting the project. Our club is now forming a speaker’s bureau,. this group will be dedicated to provide information about Road Safety and educating Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors of the District about all aspects of Road Safety The moment of truth came, as I realized this project was conceptualized, approved and executed for both club and district level in less than 2 months. It felt like a message, nothing short of a miracle. Since my son’s death in a car crash last 2010, coincidentally the same year as the above statistics. I had been feeling around in the dark all these years for a project that will help me cope a little better but always coming up short. This project has delighted and energized me, by sharing my experience, it has honor the memory of Miguel ( Sept. 29, 1984 – March 27, 2010), I think that it will give me some closure but not forget him. The Road Safety Pledge would be a huge gift to the community and somehow connected all of us in a meaningful way. What if the project fail to achieved the 500k goal? Well, if this project result in only saving one life, our pledge to “Safer Roads” and “Saving Lives” is worth taking. Please help promote this advocacy on road safety and gain new supporters. Sincerely, Jose “Boy” Agoncillo Past President ; RY 2001-2002 RC Panday Pira Manila, R.I. District 3810
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 17:38:57 +0000
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