NO MORE ACCIDENT-PRONE AREAS

 NO MORE ACCIDENT-PRONE AREAS

Can we replace “accident prone areas” with “zero accident zones”? Or why not just call them “accident-free areas”?

My brother Rey, an architect and town planner in New Jersey, says it can be done. Roads, bridges, walkways, overpasses—these can all be designed and built so they are not inherently dangerous. If we do that, there would be no need for signs declaring “accident prone area ahead.” Why warn people of danger if we could eliminate the danger in the first place?

Rey is right: it’s a matter of standards. The right slope for a curve, the right depth for drainage, the right lighting, the right barriers—these are not mysteries. Engineers and architects already know what to do. The problem, as always, is corruption. If corners are cut, materials downgraded, and inspections skipped, we end up with roads that are unsafe by design. So I conclude: the problem is not technical, it is political.

If only we had the political will, we could make our public spaces “accident free.” And why not? In Europe, the “Vision Zero” movement is already transforming cities. Sweden, where it started, aims for zero road deaths by focusing not just on driver behavior but on system design: safer intersections, roundabouts instead of blind curves, barriers to separate cars from pedestrians and bicycles. In the Philippines, meanwhile, we continue to live with signs that practically admit defeat: “Accident Prone Area.”

Shouldn’t we demand better?

Let me offer a framework for what we might call Zero Accident Zones. This isn’t pie in the sky—it’s practical and doable if we involve both government and communities.

1. Community Hazard Mapping. At the barangay level, people know where the dangers are: the blind corner with no mirror, the road that floods every rain, the alley that is pitch-dark at night. Why not mobilize barangays to conduct participatory safety audits? This way, hazards that don’t show up in official statistics will still be addressed.

2. Smarter Infrastructure. Guardrails, rumble strips, convex mirrors, solar street lights, and reflective paint are not expensive. Drainage that actually drains is even cheaper than repeated repairs after floods. If DPWH and LGUs simply commit to these basics, half the battle is won.

3. Behavior and Enforcement. Let’s not kid ourselves—some accidents are caused by reckless drivers. But instead of depending only on punishment after the fact, barangays could hold short defensive driving workshops, especially for tricycle and jeepney drivers. We could post gamified signage—humorous, colorful, memorable—designed with schools and local artists. Imagine a “Drive Slow, Save a Life” mural painted by the youth themselves.

4. Governance Innovation. What if each LGU passed an ordinance requiring annual safety audits and accident data transparency? What if barangays formed “Safe Zone Committees” where youth and senior citizens join hands to monitor hazards? Safety should not be left only to engineers and politicians—it should be everyone’s business.

5. Tech and Monitoring. Even low-cost solutions can help. Mobile apps or community text hotlines could allow residents to report near-miss incidents. Open-source maps could visualize these “almost accidents” before they become tragedies.

6. Climate-Responsive Design. In hillside barangays, landslides and flooding compound the risks. We need permeable paving, bioengineered slopes, and clear evacuation routes. In coastal areas, storm surge warnings must be integrated with road safety systems.

Now let me ask: what is stopping us from doing all these? The answer, once again, is political will. Funds exist. The technology exists. The manpower exists. What is often missing is leadership that values lives over kickbacks.

To put things in perspective, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 10,000 Filipinos die each year in road crashes—a figure higher than deaths from some natural disasters. Road crashes are among the leading causes of death for young people in the country. Do we just shrug and put up more “accident prone” signs?

We deserve roads and communities where parents don’t worry every time their children walk to school, where commuters don’t fear jeepneys on sharp curves, and where drivers are not set up to fail by poor design.

Yes, we can and should demand “Zero Accident Zones.” If other countries can do it, why not the Philippines?

The real question is: will our leaders stop treating accidents as inevitable, and start treating safety as non-negotiable? Until then, those “accident prone” signs will remain—not warnings of fate, but symbols of failure.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com 

12-22-2025