Doc’s suggestion: Make tricycles safer for kids

Rather than ban the use of tricycles as school service vehicles, authorities should instead find ways on how this form of public transport used more commonly by poor families could be made safer for children. Dr. Dexter Aison, former president of the Philippine Society of Pediatric Surgeons, said that while tricycles were commonly viewed as unsafe, they remain the most affordable form of transport for most families, especially since school shuttle services charge at least P3,500 monthly. This fee may be too much for families with a below-average income, he added. Earlier, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) asked local governments to ban the use of tricycles as school service vehicles due to safety issues. Aison, however, said that rather than ban tricycles, local governments and the LTFRB should work together to “make [these] safer.” “Tricycles can serve a purpose, with limitations. [We must find a way] to safeguard our riding children,” he said on Tuesday. Based on the Department of Health’s data, since 2010, the number of children aged 14 years old and below who were injured or killed in road crashes rose from 2,335 in 2010 to 3,503 in 2015.