Common road tragedy

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Roger Sinot

ASIN HOT SPRING, Tuba – A child, seven years of age was run over by a Baguio-Asin Hot Spring route jeepney at Km.5, Asin road last Black Saturday. Everybody was shocked to hear the accident. A group of families that came to swim at the resort had to dress up and run home to see what had really happened. After a few days, we heard that the young lad did not even reach the hospital alive. This single horrible accident that happened on a Black Saturday is no isolated horror on the road.

I remember an article from the Reader’s Digest that every driver out there must read. It is entitled "And Sudden Death". When Readers Digest founder DeWitt Wallace veered off the road in 1935, the seeds of this investigative story showed the gruesome and confronting account of what happens in a car crash. Headlines in newspapers topics are several and citizens were killed in weekend crashes. May I represent it here as the message to reckless drivers. It states, "But what is needed is vivid and sustained realization that every time you step on your battle, death gets beside you, hopefully waiting for his chance."

Wallace took the title from the Book of Common Prayer: “From lighting and tempest, from earthquake, fire and flood, from plague, pestilence and famine, from battle and murder and from sudden death, good Lord deliver us!” In this occasion, history repeats itself.  Accidents happen on and on, day in and day out. The disappointment here is that innocent children are mostly victims. You probably hear it on radios, read it on newspapers the carnage on our highways collision, turnover or sideswipe, and run over, each type of accident produces either a shuttering dead stop or a crashing change of direction. In a downward stretch of Mt. Data, a placard is read on the left side which says, "Slowdown and you will visit the place, go fast and you will visit our jail!" It is a good reminder indeed.

An American said, "American put an iron in the road, they called it Chevy." The Korean said, "Korean put iron on the road, they called it Hyundai!" The German said, "German put an iron on the road they called it Mercedes Benz." The Japanese said, "Japan put an iron on the road, they called it Toyota." Then finally, the Filipino said, "Filipino put an iron on the road. It turns turtle!". This concept maybe true when our buses, cars and jeeps are made on our backyards like Frankenstein, composed of many brands of cars.

A resort here says, "A place where you will never grow old!" A child asked why and the mother said, "Because you're going to die young!" Maybe, this is the time to send out publications in order to reach as many drivers as possible. This issue of accidents be read and discussed in radio programs, in schools, in churches, in luncheon clubs and seminars on tourism. It will surely, without a doubt, save countless lives as the road safety message spreads.

The Dept. of Public Work and Highways (DPWH) is concerned and also our legislative officials. It is about time they make pedestrian lanes, particularly sidewalks. Pedestrians are caught by passing vehicles along the road due to the absence of sidewalks.

Old folks have a common favorite song called “What a wonderful world”. Let us all live our life to the fullest. Let us climb more mountains and let our strong feet lead us. Happy trails to everyone and may we stay forever young...