Sixteen thousand people die and thousands of others get injured in road accidents in the country every year, Department of Transportation (DoTC) Assistant Secretary and Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Arturo C. Lomibao said Monday.

Speaking at the Monday flag-raising ceremony at Cavite Provincial Capitol in Trece Martires City, Lomibao said some P150 billion is also lost yearly due to vehicular and pedestrian accidents all over the country.

With the development, Lomibao called on the citizenry to join the campaign of the DoTC and the LTO on road safety and "zero-accidents" by "practicing self-discipline, patience and concern" whenever they are on the streets.

"Road safety is everyone's concern and responsibility. Every one of us has to be concerned on road safety as lives are at stake here. Road safety is self-discipline, patience, being considerate to others, love of family and pro-life, among others," said Lomibao.

Lomibao said the causes of vehicular and pedestrian accidents include driving error, driving while drunk or under drugs, vehicle engine defect, driving at high speed, use of cell phone while driving and bad roads, among others.

The DoTC-LTO official said road accidents can be prevented by people by being cautious and alert while driving or walking along the streets.

Governor Ayong S. Maliksi invited Lomibao as guest of honor and keynote speaker at the regular flag-raising ceremony in front of the provincial capitol. It was the fourth time that Lomibao visited Cavite during his tenure as PNP chief, head of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and DoTC and LTO official.

Cavite is a traffic accident-prone area particularly along Aguinaldo Highway and other thoroughfares in the lowland and upland districts of the province.

Police officials said to sum it all, there are more traffic accidents than crime incidents in the province.