Dangerous roads

In a panel discussion on “Innovations in Safer Land Mobility” during the ECCP Safer Mobility and Logistics Forum are, from left, Jason Ang of Inquirer Motoring; Debbie Macariola (St. John President & CEO and the Inventor of CroXtec); Mr. George Royeca (Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs, Angkas); Mr. Richard Walker (Managing Director, Robert Bosch) and Ms. Ma. Erin Katrina Masangcay (Head for Road Transportation Royal Cargo, Inc.).

The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) organized a conference and exhibition to highlight road safety issues and stronger implementation of safety solutions. The two-day conference, held on September 24 and 25, 2019 at Solaire Manila, included panel discussions among innovators and authorities on road safety. One of the conference’s objectives is to highlight the implementation of the Global Road Safety Partnership Roadmap to improve road safety.

The Philippines is one of the deadliest countries in terms of road safety. The World Health Organization cited that more than 12,000 Filipinos die on the road every year, or about 35 every day, with 348 seriously injured due to traffic-related incidents.

“One major cause of death in the Philippines are road accidents, they just rarely make the headlines. We want to bring humanity back to motorists and pedestrians because they are more than just statistics. The more frequent road accidents happen, the more we should collectively do something about it,” said Allan Santos, Marketing Manager of Bridgestone Philippines on continuing their road safety campaign through supporting ECCP’s initiatives on safer mobility and logistics.

The event witnessed the launch of the Enrique Razon Logistics Institute and Shell BiyaHero, as well as the signing of partnership agreements with organizations committed to road safety.

“Creating a safety culture is something that is vital to all that we do, especially with mobility and logistics. We at the ECCP aim to promote a stronger implementation of safety solutions. We also hope to increase private sector engagement and public-private collaboration in implementing the GRSP Road Safety Roadmap and other logistics safety action plans for the safety and security of all Filipinos,” said ECCP President Nabil Francis.

Inquirer Motoring moderated a panel discussion on “Innovations in Safer Land Mobility.” The panelists focused on technological solutions to improve road safety. Debbie Macariola-St. John presented her invention, the CroXtec app. This app aims to inform pedestrians and motorists when they are within a danger zone while walking or driving. The app can run in the background and can warn of danger without the user having to look at his screen, itself a dangerous distraction when on the road. Richard Walker of Robert Bosch highlighted the technological solutions that can improve road safety. These include the company’s safety innovations created in collaboration with carmakers, such as anti-lock braking systems and the electronic stability program. These help drivers maintain control of their vehicle particularly in hazardous or emergency situations. Mr. Walker cited the example of Malaysia, which recently introduced legislation requiring the installation of ABS brakes in certain vehicles. He hopes that other countries, including the Philippines, will follow suit. ABS brakes are particularly crucial for motorcycle riders.

Safety is also the priority of innovative ride-sharing company Angkas. Whenever you see one of their distinctive blue-garbed “motorcycle-taxi” riders on the streets, you can be assured that he or she has passed Angkas’ stringent safety course and testing, according to George Royeca, Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs, Angkas. Royeca says that out of more than 100,000 applicants, they have passed less than a quarter of them out of safety considerations. He cites their 99.7 percent safety record (“Safer than condoms,” said Royeca. as one of the factors why they the Department of Transportation agreed to their accreditation. Ma. Erin Katrina Masangcay, Head for Road Transportation Royal Cargo, Inc.

One more road death is one too many, and the ECCP forum highlighted some of the ways in which government, the private sector, and the academe are striving to improve road safety.