A recent road crash involving a car slamming into a truck along Marcos Highway in Antipolo City highlights one of the main concerns affecting road safety in the Philippines - speeding. Video from a CCTV camera installed at an establishment near the crash site showed a truck making a U-turn and doing it correctly (i.e., the maneuver) and safely. What followed was a car that was obviously speeding but seemingly not out of control. The car slammed the back of the truck in what was a fatal crash.
Are the roads to blame? While roads and bridges are static, design elements are the main culprits for why these facilities can be unsafe to users. Straight, level and wide sections of roads invite speeding among drivers and riders alike. The so-called 'ideal' sections of roads encourage drivers and riders to speed up, regardless of the speed limits. Thus, roads like Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and Marcos Highway in Antipolo, Cainta, Marikina and Pasig have many speeding vehicles. The design speeds for these roads are definitely above the speed limits. I still maintain though that it takes two to tango. That is, even with the above conditions, disciplined, experienced drivers and riders should not have been speeding or doing any other risky maneuver. That could have reduced the likelihood of such crashes. I think that's pretty plain and common sense.
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