ANGELES CITY -- Pampanga First District Rep. Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II is pushing for the inclusion of traffic and drivers’ education in the K-12 curriculum in a bid to have safer roads and reduce traffic-related accidents.
In relation to this, Lazatin filed House Bills 4175 and 4406 requiring Grade 11 and 12 students in public and private secondary schools to undergo traffic and drivers’ education to provide them the basic knowledge on the use of vehicles.
“Equipping pedestrians, passengers and would-be drivers, especially at an early age, with fundamental information of existing traffic rules and regulations is one of the key measures to solve our perennial road problems,” Lazatin said.
He also underscored the Traffic Education Act of 2016 or HB 4175 and Drivers’ Education Elective Act or HB 4406) which he filed before the 17th Congress.
The lawmaker explained that “driving a vehicle is a privilege that should be accorded only to those who are found to be fit and competent enough to take responsibilities."
"This is precisely the reason why obtaining a license is a mandatory requirement for every would-be driver in the country.”
He stressed that when this privilege is abused or given to someone unfit, this can result to accidents.
Lazatin pointed out that the Global Status Report on Road Safety by the World Health Organization indicated that 10,379 Filipinos died in 2015 due to road traffic accidents.
He said that 19 percent of the figure were pedestrians, 14 percent were drivers of four-wheel vehicles, and 11 percent were passengers.
Lazatin said the alarming data further necessitates the need to strengthen traffic and drivers’ education even prior to the attainment of a drivers’ license in order to mitigate, if not altogether eliminate, the probability of figuring in road accidents.
Once approved, students and aspiring drivers will have greater and in-depth knowledge of both the theoretical and practical aspects of driving, one of the key measures vital in ensuring safer roads for drivers, passengers and pedestrians, Lazatin said.