By Charissa Luci-Atienza

Pangasinan Rep. Tyrone Agabas is proposing to integrate road safety education as part of the curriculum of the K to 12 program of the Department of Education (DepEd).

He laments that about 12, 000 Filipinos die on the road every year.

“While numerous legislations have been made to address risk factors such as over speeding, drinking and driving, and non-use of seatbelts and helmets, lives are still untimely spent on the roads,” he said.

“Unfortunately, accident reports show that more and more of our young below the age of eighteen are involved in road accidents which resulted to injuries and untimely death,” Agabas expressed concern.

He filed House Bill No. 4992 or the proposed Road Safety Education Act to put in place a mechanism to inculcate road safety consciousness among the youth.

“To save more lives, there is a need to initiate this legislative measure to inculcate road safety consciousness among our students as early as possible so as to instill in them at an early age safety consciousness,” Agabas said.

Under HB 4992, he proposed that road safety education, which includes but not limited to pedestrian safety, car passenger, driving safety near roads, traffic signage be part of the K to 12 curriculum.

The Department of Education (DepEd), in coordination with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is tasked to promulgate the implementing rules and regulations of the proposed Act.

The funds needed for the implementation of the proposed Act shall be sourced from the Road Safety Fund, which is 7.5 percent of the Motor Vehicles User’s Charge (MVUC), the bill said.