Lawmakers in The Philippines have submitted a bill to ban motorcycles on all main roads, thoroughfares and national highways in the country.

The move goes back to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO), that proclaimed motorcycle accidents as a "Public Health Epidemic". So to do their part in curbing this epidemic, legislators want to take away the motorcycles.

According to All Headline News...

"Nearly 1.2 million persons die of road traffic accidents every year, 40 percent of which are under 25 year-olds," Santiago said.

Santiago noted that young motorcyclists make up a significant percentage of injuries and fatalities among road users in many Asian countries.

"Reports identified over-speeding, non-use of helmets, risk-taking behavior, and drunk-driving as contributing factors to the rising trend of traffic accidents," Santiago said.

While this is The Philippines, and not the United States, the facts are that motorcycles are more heavily relied upon in The Philippines than the USA. This could be something we'll be dealing with here in the States should motorcycle usage continue to increase.

Labels: Philippines

Honda announced that it will build a new manufacturing plant in the Philippines. Apparently, the demand for motorcycles there is so big, that they can't keep up:

Honda's move to bolster its production base in the Philippines comes amid strong growth in demand for motorcycles there.

The company said the local motorcycle market grew to 475,000 units in 2004, up 53% from 2003, and it projects the market will increase to 600,000 units this year.

Honda says the new plant will have an initial annual production capacity of 500,000 units. But according to the statement above, the demand is projected to be 600,000 units this year (2005). So, it sounds like motorcycles will continue to be a hot commodity in the Philippines.

Labels: Honda, Manufacturing, Philippines