UNITED Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt highlighted the importance of helmets in reducing fatalities and injuries, saying that wearing a helmet that meets UN standards could cut the risk of death by 42 percent and the risk of injury by 69 percent.
Todt pointed this out in a media briefing on Monday as he concluded his four-day visit to the Philippines, promoting critical road safety measures and advocating for greater adherence to global road safety standards, particularly the use of helmets.
During his visit, Todt also endorsed the #MakeASafetyStatement campaign, a joint initiative between the UN and global advertising company JCDecaux, which aims to amplify core messages from the New Decade of Action for Road Safety. The campaign’s goal is to halve road fatalities by 2030.
The visit comes as the Philippines continues to grapple with the impact of road traffic fatalities, which kill almost 9,000 people annually, with motorcyclists making up a significant portion of this statistic. According to the Department of Health, 65 percent of road crash victims in the country are motorcycle riders.
During his visit, Todt met with key government officials to discuss road safety improvements. He sat down with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who committed to establishing a national road safety task force composed of representatives from the health and transport sectors.
This task force will collaborate with the UN to develop and implement road safety initiatives in the country. Marcos also announced that the Philippines will send a delegation to the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, which will be held in Morocco in February 2025.
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