REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 934

Introduced by MAGDALO Party List RepresentativesFranciscoAshley LAcedillo and
Gary C. Alejano

Explanatory Note

One adverse reality that is tied in with development is an increase in traffic accidents connected
to increased motorization and infrastructure. Every year, worldwide, about 1.3 million people get
killed on roads, mostly in low- and middle-income countries -- and vehicular accidents are likely
to become the fifth leading cause of death in all age groups by 2030', such as the Philippines

The state of road safety of a country is normally gauged by the frequency of accidents. The
Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported road accidents were now the leading
cause of premature death globally for children and young people aged five to 29 years. It also
cited a report from the World Health Organization, which noted that 90% of the deaths caused by
road accidents are in low- and middle-income countries even if these countries only account for
50% of the world’s total vehicles”

In the Philippines, data from the Public Works department, Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority and the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group showed that 1,833 persons
were killed while almost 29,000 people were injured in the 85,820 road accidents that were
recorded last year’.

Since the Philippines signed the Vienna convention in 1968, traffic control devices, such as
traffic signs and markings, have generally followed intemational standards, Nevertheless, there
are still many signs installed that do not conform to standard colors or shapes. The number of
traffic signs installed is generally insufficient, and in highly urbanized areas these signs can
hardly be recognized, as they compete with giant billboards in visibility and craftsmanship.

As the importance of road safety is realized, as well as how tremendous losses - in which the
estimated cost of these losses from accidents amount to approximately Php 150 billion per year -
from preventable phenomenon such as traffic accidents could be, this bill recognizes that road
safety problem is significant.

Approval of this bill is eamnestly sought.

iCISCO ASHLEY L. ACEDILLO “ARY C. ALEJANO

* See more at: http://www.bworldonline.com/content php?section=MotoringSutitle=ADB-wams-of-rising-road-
accidentséid=49704Hsthash.udFFYEpi.dpuf

* Ibid

* Ibid


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

House Bill No.

Introduced by MAGDALO Party List Representatives Francisco Ashley L. Acedillo and
Gary C. Alejano

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM IN THE PHILIPPINES, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "Highway Safety Program of

2013."

See. 2. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the words and phrases used herein
shall mean and understood to mean as follows:

1) Strategic Highway Safety Program - The term "Strategic Highway Safety Program"
means a program developed by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC)
after consultation with:

(i) regional transportation planning organizations and metropolitan planning

organizations, if any;

(ii) representatives of major modes of transportation;

(iii) National Government and local traffic enforcement officials;

(iv) motor vehicle administration agencies; and

(v) other major National Government and local safety stakeholders;

‘The program should accomplish the following:
(a) analyzes and makes effective use of National Government, regional, or local crash

data;


(1) analyzes and makes effective use of National Government, regional, or local crash data:

(2) addresses engineering, management, operation, education, enforcement, and
emergency services elements (including integrated, interoperable emergency
communications) of highway safety as key factors in evaluating highway projects;

(3) considers safety needs of, and high-fatality segments of, public roads;

(4) considers the results of State, regional, or local transportation and highway safety
planning processes;

(5) describes a program of projects or strategies to reduce or eliminate safety
hazards;

2) Highway safety improvement project. —
(a) In general, - The term “highway safety improvement project" means a project
described in the Government strategic highway safety program that -

(i) corrects or improves a hazardous road location or feature; or

(ii) addresses a highway safety problem.

(b) Inclusions. - The term "highway safety improvement project" includes a project for one
or more of the following:

(1) An intersection safety improvement.

(2) Pavement and shoulder widening (including addition of a passing lane to remedy an
unsafe condition).

(3) Installation of rumble strips or another warning device, if the rumble strips or other
warming devices do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists,
pedestrians, and the disabled.

(4) Installation of a skid-resistant surface at an intersection or other location with a high
frequency of accidents.

(5) An improvement for pedestrian or bicyclist safety or safety of the disabled.


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(6) Construction of a railway-highway crossing safety feature, including installation of

protective devices.

(7) The conduct of a model traffic enforcement activity at a railway-highway crossing.

(8) Construction of a traffic calming feature.

(9) Elimination of a roadside obstacle.

(10) Improvement of highway signage and pavement markings. -

(11) Installation of a priority control system for emergency vehicles at signalized
intersections.

(12) Installation of a traffic control or other warning device at a location with high
accident potential.

(13) Safety-conscious planning.

(14) Improvement in the collection and analysis of crash data.

(15) Planning integrated interoperable emergency communications equipment,
operational activities, or traffic enforcement activities (including police assistance)
relating to workzone safety.

(16) Installation of guardrails, barriers (including barriers between construction work
zones and traffic lanes for the safety of motorists and workers), and crash
attenuators.

(17) The addition or retrofitting of structures or other measures to eliminate or reduce
accidents involving vehicles and wildlife.

(18) Installation and maintenance of signs (including fluorescent, yellow- green signs) at
pedestrian-bicycle crossings and in school zones.

(19) Construction and yellow-green signs at pedestrian-bicycle crossings and in school
zones.

(20) Construction and operational improvements on high risk rural roads.

(21) Information drive concerning highway safety matters (including motorcyclist safety).


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(22) Enforcement of highway safety laws.

SEC. 3. Program. -
(1) In general. - The DOTC Secretary shall carry out a highway safety improvement program.
(2) Purpose. - The purpose of the highway safety improvement program shall be to achieve a

significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roads.

SEC. 4. Eligibility. -
(1) In general. - To obligate funds apportioned to carry out this section, a city or a province shall
have in effect a highway safety improvement program under which the city/municipality -
(a) develops and implements a city/municipality strategic highway safety plan that identifies
and analyzes highway safety problems and opportunities;
(b) produces a program of projects or strategies to reduce identified safety problems;
(c) evaluates the plan on a regular basis to ensure the accuracy of the data and priority of
proposed improvements; and
(d) submits to the Secretary of Transportation and Communications an annual report that -
(i) describes, in a clear understandable fashion, not less than five (5) percent of locations
determined by the city or the province, as exhibiting the most severe safety needs; and
(ii) contains an assessment of -
(1) potential remedies to hazardous locations identified;
(II) estimated costs associated with those remedies; and
(U1) impediments to implementation other than cost associated with those
remedies.
(2) Identification and analysis of highway safety problems and opportunities.- As part of

the Government strategic highway safety plan, a city or a province shall -


(a) have in place a crash data system with the ability to perform safety problem
identification and countermeasure analysis;
(b) based on the analysis required by subparagraph (a) -

(i) identify hazardous locations, sections, and elements (including roadside obstacles,
railway-highway crossing needs, and unmarked or poorly marked roads) that
constitute a danger to motorists (including motorcyclists), bicyclists, pedestrians, and
other highway users; and

(ii) using such criteria as the city or the province determine to be appropriate, establish
the relative severity of those locations, in terms of accidents, injuries, deaths, traffic
volume levels, and other relevant data;

(c) adopt strategic and performance-based goals that -

(i) address traffic safety, including behavioral and infrastructure problems and

opportunities on all public roads;

(ii) focus resources on areas of greatest need; and

(iii) are coordinated with other highway safety programs;

(d) advance the capabilities of the Government for traffic records data collection, analysis, and
imegration with other sources of safety data (such as road inventories) in a manner that -

(i) includes all public roads;

(ii) identifies hazardous locations, sections, and elements on public roads that constitute a
danger to motorists (including motorcyclists), bicyclists, pedestrians, the disabled, and
other highway users; and

(iii) includes a means of identifying the relative severity of hazardous locations in terms of
accidents, injuries, deaths, and traffic volume levels;

(c) (i) determine priorities for the correction of hazardous road locations, sections, and elements

(including railway- highway crossing improvements), as identified through crash data

analysis;

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(ii) identify opportunities for preventing the development of such hazardous conditions; and
(iii) establish and implement a schedule of highway safety improvement projects for hazard
correction and hazard prevention; and
( (@ establish an evaluation process to analyze and assess results achieved by highway safety
improvement projects carried out in accordance with procedures and criteria established
by this section; and -

(ii) use the information obtained under clause (i) in setting priorities for highway safety

improvement projects.

. 5. Eligible Projects. - A city or provincial government may obligate funds
apportioned to the city or provincial government to carry out any highway safety improvement
project on any public road or publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail.
Nothing in this section prohibits the use of funds made available under other provisions
of this Act for highway safety improvement projects.
The city and provincial governments are encouraged to address the full scope of their
safety needs and opportunities by using funds made available under other provisions of this Act

(except a provision that specifically prohibits that use).

SEC. 6. Reports. -
(1) In general, - A city or provincial government shall submit to the DOTC Secretary a report
that -
(a) describes progress being made to implement highway safety improvement projects under
this section;
(b) assesses the effectiveness of those improvements; and
(c) describes the extent to which the improvements funded under this section contribute to

the goals of -


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(i reducing the number of fatalities on roadways;
(ii) reducing the number of roadway-related injuries;
(iii) reducing the occurrences of roadway-related crashes;
(iv) mitigating the consequences of roadway-related
crashes; and
() reducing the occurrences of crashes at railway-highway
crossings.
(2) Contents; schedule. - The Secretary of Transportation and Communications shall establish
the content and schedule for a report under Section (6)(1) of this Act.
(3) Transparency. - The Secretary of Transportation and Communications shall make reports
submitted to him available to the public through -
(a) the Web site of the Department; and

(b) such other means as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

SEC. 7. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this
‘Act shall be provided out of the savings from the appropriations of the DOTC for the current
year. Thereafter, the sum necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be appropriated in

the annual appropriations of the DOTC.

SEC. 8. Separability Clause. Should any part or provision of this Act is declared
invalid or unconstitutional for any purpose, none of the other parts or provisions hereof shall be

affected.

SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts

thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly


r SEC. 10. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days upon its

publication in at least two (2) general newspapers of national circulation.

Approved,