Child-friendly walks pushed

A group batting for child-friendly roads wants its advocacy for minors to take a major role in preventing accidents.

Safe Kids Philippines polled about 10,000 pupils in grades 5 and 6 and found more than a third have encountered some sort of a pedestrian mishap.

While calling on authorities, particularly government agencies, to look after the the special needs of the young in public places, the group noted 36 percent or at least 3,500 children were victims.

Senator Loren Legarda earlier cited the finding of Safe Kids, noting that the results reflected metropolitan conditions across Quezon City along with the cities of Pasay and Parañaque, including Olongapo in Zambales and Cebu City.

Bicycle-related accidents at 42 percent topped the list followed by motorcycles at 14 percent; about 3,600 children die due to road mishaps every year.

Last March, Amy Rolloque represented Safe Kids to the 9th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion in Yucatan, Mexico. –Rio N. Araja, Manila Standard Today