CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) --Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven C. Pastor has been elected as the Deputy Chair of the Asia Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO) during the APRSO Annual Meeting held on 13 October 2022, Thursday, at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters.

Established by the ADB, The World Bank Group, Federation Internationale de I’Automobile, the International Transport Forum (ITF), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UK Aid through the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), the APRSO aims to ensure the protection of human life on roads across Asia and the Pacific by bringing together the development community and road safety stakeholders to significantly reduce road traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Pastor’s new role at the APRSO will further help in effectively carrying out the Department’s various road safety initiatives, and provide a huge boost in the Department’s efforts to promote safer travel for all road users, especially those who are from the most vulnerable sectors.

"Through the Deputy Chairmanship, we endeavor to provide our full support to the activities of the APRSO, as we deem this very significant in terms of strengthening our current initiatives on road safety and in developing other mechanisms to minimize road crashes through proper interventions,” Pastor said.

The APRSO Annual Meeting was held, following the Global Regional Road Safety Observatories Dialogue on Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) Safety which was attended by the Road Sector. It discussed sustainable practices, regulations, road systems, as well as infrastructure designs, to ensure the safety of PTW drivers and pillion riders, which has seen a rapid increase in number in Asia and the Pacific in the past decade.

The APRSO currently has 23-member countries across Asia and the Pacific. (DOTr/PIA-NCR)