Let’s work hand in hand to prevent drunk driving and save lives on Philippine roads --[Reported by Umva mag]

Drinking and driving don’t mix. Every day, an average of over 10 people die in the Philippines due to road crashes, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. About three of these deaths are attributable to alcohol as a risk factor.

This is unacceptable. It’s high time the government and we Filipinos worked together to prevent drunk driving and save lives on our country’s roads.

‘HAPPY HOURS’ PUT INNOCENTS IN HARM’S WAY
The Move As One Coalition calls on the government to increase the public’s awareness of how alcohol consumption negatively impacts safety and health. The Coalition joins the Sin Tax Coalition in urging President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to designate September as “Alcohol Harms Awareness Month.”

“Even at low blood-alcohol levels, drivers experience problems with concentration, coordination, and identification of risks in the road environment,” says the World Health Organization (WHO).

Yet many drivers and motorcyclists fail to realize that every drop of alcohol they consume puts them and innocent parties, such as children and pedestrians, in harm’s way on the road. Every drop of alcohol they consume affects their friends and families, too. Their stories are heartbreaking.

Last December, a male driver under the influence of alcohol plowed into a group of people standing on a sidewalk after attending a Christmas night mass. He injured five children — three of them critically, with injuries including head trauma and a fractured leg. One of the children was left in a coma.

In February 2022, Manuel Ognes, Jr., a member of the Philippine Air Force, went to a batch party with three colleagues. Ognes drove the car that they were riding. The vehicle smashed into concrete barriers lining the EDSA Busway, burst into flames, and burned all his companions to death.

Ognes was the only survivor. A breathalyzer test found that he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Tony (not his real name) may have survived a violent road crash; but it shattered his life and the lives of his family. One night after drinking with his buddies, while riding his motorcycle, Tony crashed into a car. The impact severely damaged his spine and caused instant and permanent paralysis in his arms and legs. Today, Tony can move only his head. Since he is single, Tony depends on the kindness of family members for his round-the-clock care.

STRONG ENFORCEMENT DETERS DRUNK DRIVING
The Move As One Coalition calls on the government to invest in stronger enforcement of Republic Act (RA) 10586, known as the “Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013.” Regular and sustained enforcement can ensure that drivers stop drinking and driving.

However, our law enforcers struggle to implement RA 10586. As revealed during a Senate hearing last August, their only tool are the useless breathalyzers procured in 2017 by the Land Transportation Office.

The government must invest in enough calibrated breathalyzers. Law enforcers need to test many drivers to successfully deter people from drunk driving. The ideal proportion is at least one in 10 drivers every year, according to the World report on road traffic injury prevention. The dearth of breathalyzers makes it impossible to achieve such a scale in the Philippines; 7.8 million drivers’ licenses were processed in the country in 2023 alone.

The government must also look into why there are too few trained law enforcers. The enforcers do a thankless job, working late hours and are on shaky ground because they lack breathalyzers. They have reason to be worried that the motorists they apprehend may harm or sue them.

The Move As One Coalition recommends that RA 10586 be revised to allow random breath testing (RBT) and make it a serious offense for anyone to refuse a breathalyzer test. RBT would enable law enforcers to do roadside checks of randomly selected drivers.

RBT is not allowed under the current law, RA 10586. The law states that enforcers must have “probable cause” — a traffic violation, such as lane straddling or speeding — before they can stop motorists and do sobriety and breath tests.

RBT is worthy of consideration because it is a cost-effective measure. According to a WHO report, in New South Wales, Australia, the estimated cost-benefit ratio of random breath testing ranged from 1:1 to 1:56. RBT has saved lives in countries such as Australia, Finland, Ireland, and New Zealand.

We Filipinos must all do our share to prevent deaths and injuries due to drunk driving. Let’s educate ourselves on how alcohol consumption increases everyone’s risk of being involved in a road crash. And let’s catch up with the fact that there is no health benefit to alcohol consumption.

Working hand in hand with the government will contribute to the goal of reducing the number of road traffic deaths by 35% in 2028, a goal of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2028.

Dinna Louise C. Dayao ([email protected]) is a communication consultant for the Move As One Coalition (https://www.moveasoneph.org/), which advocates for safer, more humane, and more inclusive public transportation in the Philippines. Dayao is an independent journalist and Pulitzer Center grantee whose work has focused mainly on road safety. She completed the Global Road Safety Leadership Course, organized by Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Global Road Safety Partnership, and Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety, in 2017.

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