FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. NO. 
Introduced by Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV 
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, not less than one inillion 
people get killed on roads, and 70% of these are from those countries that the World Bank 
classifies as low- or middle-income. This condition i s  worse in developing countries, such as the 
Philippines. 
The state of road safety of a country is normally gauged by the frequency of accidents. In a 2003 
United Children's Fund (UNICEF)-funded study, the road accident problem in the country was 
found to have reached an alarming level. Based on the study, about 9, 000 fatalities could be 
attributed to road traffic accidents. Moreover, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) data show 
that deaths average at 9,000 per year, seriously injured at 144,000 and slightly injured 630,000. 
The study also revealed that road traffic accidents ranked number one over other causes of injury 
morbidity. And as far as deaths due to injuries are concerned, road traffic accidents ranked as the 
number one leading cause at 20%. 
Since the Philippines signed the Vienna convention in 1968, traffic control devices, such as 
traffic signs and markings, have generally followed international 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 PhplSO 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 earnestly sought. 
Senator 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
Introduced by Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV 
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AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR A HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM IN THE PHILPPDIES, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. Ths Act shall be known as the "Highway Safety Program 
of 2008." 
SEC. 2. Definition of Term. 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 inetropolitan planning 
organizations, if any; 
(ii) representatives of major modes of transportation; 
(iii) National Governinent and local traffic enforcement officials; 
(iv) motor vehicle administration agencies; and 
(v) other major National Government and local safety stakeholders; 
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(2) addresses engineering, management, operation, education, enforcement, and 
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emergency services elements (including integrated, interoperable emergency 
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planning processes; 
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(5) describes a program of projects or strategies to reduce or eliminate safety 
The program should accomplish the following: 
(1) analyzes and makes effective use of National Government, regional, or local crash data; 
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 
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hazards; 
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unsafe condition). 
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pedestrians, and the disabled. 
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frequency of accidents. 
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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 
(3) Installation of rumble strips or another warning device, if the rumble strips or other 
warning devices do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, 
(4) Installation of a skid-resistant surface at an intersection or other location with a high 
(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. 
(1 5) 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. 
(1 8) 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. 
(2 1) 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 hghway safety improvement program shall be to achieve a 
significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roads. 
SEC. 4. Eligibiliq. - 
(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) subinits 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 - 
(I) potential remedies to hazardous locations identified; 
(11) estimated costs associated with those remedies; and 
(111) impediments to implementation other than cost associated with those 
remedies. 
(2) Identification and analysis of highway safe& problem and opportunities. - As 
part of 
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the Government strategic highway safety plan, a city or a province shall - 
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(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 
integration 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; 
(e) (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 
(0 (i) 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. 
SEC. 5. Ellglble 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) Zn 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 
(v) 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. Separabili@ 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. 
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SEC. 10. Effectlviq. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days upon its 
publication in at least two (2) general newspapers of national circulation. 
Approved, 
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