Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol. 8, 2010

Motorcycle Involvement in Road Crashes in Metro

Ricardo G. Sigua Professor, Institute of Civil Engineering College of Civil Engineering University of the Diliman, Quezon City Philippines 1101

Abstract: In general, member countries of the ASEAN with high motorcycle registration have been found to have very high road crash incidence. In the Philippines, every year, more than 600,000 motorcycles have been added on the road. In 2007, the number has reached 2.65 million. There is much to learn from the lessons of the other ASEAN countries which have gone through the experience of having too many motorcycles on the road as they become more affordable but with corresponding alarming problem on road safety. The paper shows that this experience has already begun in the Philippines, and if the trend would continue without any proper intervention, the same fate of its neighbouring countries may likely be replicated.

Key words: motorcycle involvement in road crashes, road safety

1. INTRODUCTION

Several reasons have been attributed to the rapid increase of the number of motorcycles. It has become a necessity for many commuters especially with the unstoppable increase in fuel prices and transportation fares. Moreover, motorcycle has become affordable in recent years and has rapidly replaced the bicycles in many developing countries. It offers fast travel, sometimes faster than a car since even at very congested roads where a car could hardly move, the motorcycle could easily squeeze in and find its way between stopped vehicles, much to the disgust of car drivers. However, because of its size (specially that of scooters and other small- size motorcycles) which contributes largely to problem of stability, riders of motorcycles have become vulnerable to road crashes. Unlike the protected passengers and drivers on four wheels, riders of motorcycles are exposed and unprotected. Many road crashes involving motorcycles would therefore lead to either fatality or very serious injuries.

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2. MOTORCYCLES, THE NEW ‘KING OF THE ROAD’?

Time was when the jeepney, a paratransit/public utility vehicle in the Philippines has been tagged as the ‘King of the Road’. However, with the rapid increase of motorcycles in the country, there is no doubt that motorcycle would soon replace the venerable jeepney (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Number of registered vehicles in the Philippines (Source: Javier, 2008)

Table 1 shows the details on motor vehicle registration in the Philippines from 2005 to 2007. Every year, more than 600,000 motorcycles have been added on the road. In 2007, the number has reached 2.65 million. The figure includes tricycles, a public transport vehicle very popular in the provinces consisting of a sidecar and a motorcycle.

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Table 1 Motor vehicle registration in the Philippines. ( Source: LTO, 2008)

Motor vehicle Mode of type Registration 2005 2006 2007 New 41,175 40,763 46,183 Renewal 747,233 751,610 704,909

CAR Sub-Total 788,408 792,373 751,092 New 93,959 88,950 91,518 Renewal 1,539,897 1,529,151 1,511,101 UV Sub-Total 1,633,856 1,618,101 1,602,619 New 21,554 25,491 27,503 Renewal 136,384 147,303 165,488 SUV Sub-Total 157,938 172,794 192,991

New 15,245 16,896 18,439 Renewal 251,670 269,005 262,822 TRUCK Sub-Total 266,915 285,901 281,261 New 1,738 2,008 2,518 Renewal 29,239 27,136 27,641 BUS Sub-Total 30,977 29,144 30,159 New 585,482 605,038 671,588

Motorcycle/ Renewal 1,572,255 1,804,325 1,975,986 Tricycle Sub-Total 2,157,737 2,409,363 2,647,574 New 1,427 2,595 1,789 Renewal 22,495 21,303 22,567 TRAILER Sub-Total 23,922 23,898 24,356 New 760,580 781,741 859,538 Sub-Total Renewal 4,299,173 4,549,833 4,670,514 Grand Total 5,059,753 5,331,574 5,530,052

3. MOTORCYCLE ROAD CRASHES IN THE ASEAN REGION

Except for Cambodia and Laos which still have very low vehicle population, member countries of the ASEAN with high motorcycle registration have been generally found to have very high road crash incidence. Figure 2 shows the share of motorcycles and three-wheelers as percentage of motor vehicle registration in each ASEAN country and the number of fatal road crashes reported by the police. Malaysia was able to manage its problem of road crashes by providing exclusive motorcycle lanes. The data shown may not reflect the sharp increase of the number of motorcycles in the Philippines over the last 5 years nor the recent efforts of Malaysia and Thailand to reduce road crashes involving motorcycles by providing exclusive motorcycle lanes.

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18000

16000

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000 Reported road fatalities traffic road Reported 2000

0 0 102030405060708090100 % of 2- and 3- wheelers

Figure 2 Percentage share of 2- and 3- wheelers and number of fatalities, 2007 ( Source of data: WHO, 2009)

4. MOTORCYCLISTS’ DRIVING BEHAVIOUR

Just as in most cities, motorcyclists would choose the most direct path with less obstructions as they travel within Metro Manila. They would not use secondary roads with bad pavement conditions and with too many roadside activities. They are found mostly on major roads competing in speed with other vehicles. When traffic slows down, motorcyclists gain the upper hand as they pass four wheel vehicles by weaving through the traffic, zigzagging left and right.

5. ROADS MOST TRAVELED WITH THE MOST NUMBER OF ROAD CRASHES

Table 2 shows the major corridors in Metro Manila with the most number of road crashes. Coincidentally, these roads have also been identified as priority roads for widening by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

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Table 2 Major roads with the most number of road crashes Source: MMDA, 2005 Arterial AADT, veh/day No. of road crashes EDSA 225,695 6,433 Commonwealth Ave. 190,491 2,628 C-5 156,938 1,745 Quezon Ave. 147,936 1,178 C-3 53,835 534

Marcos Highway 90.693 494

Figure 3 shows a blackspot map for Metro Manila. The major roads with the most number of road crashes are indicated.

Figure 3 Metro Manila black spots (Source: MMDA, 2005)

1938 Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol. 8, 2010

Theoretically, the number of accidents increases as the exposure increases. Taking AADT as the measure of exposure, a plot is shown in Figure 4. The number of accidents tends to increase exponentially with AADT.

7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 No. of Accidents of No. 0 0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000

AADT (veh/day)

Figure 4 Exposure (AADT) and number of accidents

6. MOTORCYCLE ROAD CRASHES IN METRO MANILA

Figure 5 shows the number of fatal and injury road crashes involving motorcycles in Metro Manila. Notably, there is a very sharp increase from 2002, the same year when the number of motorcycles began to proliferate in the country. The period 2004 to 2007 saw the number of road crashes involving motorcycles in Metro Manila doubled.

7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 motorcycles 1000 0

No. of accidents involving 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Year

Figure 5 Number of fatal and injury road crashes involving motorcycles (Sources: HPG-PNP,2008;MMDA 2005- 2008)

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Table 3 shows the number of fatal and injury crashes in Metro Manila for each vehicle type. The motorcycle has been involved in about one-third of road crashes in 2007. This is more than the involvement of cars, which used to have the highest involvement until 2006. Almost every night, local television news would give reports of motorcycle incidents involving fatalities and serious injuries. Most reports tend to show that these road crashes occurred at night time. No study on visibility of motorcycles in Metro Manila has been undertaken so far. It may be of interest to investigate the visibility of motorcyclists at night as to the color of their clothes and helmets they wear. Studies would show that riders wearing light-colored helmets are less involved in road crashes (GRSP, 2008).

Table 3 Fatal and injury road crashes in Metro Manila, 2007 (Source of data: MMDA,2008)

Vehicle type Accident type Total %

Fatal Injury Bicycle/Pedicab 20 584 604 3.30 Motorcycle 113 5865 5,978 32.65 Tricycle 17 1,232 1,249 6.82 Car 91 5,201 5,292 28.91 Jeepney 61 1,864 1,925 10.51 Taxi/FX 18 1,031 1,049 5.73 Bus 27 464 491 2.68 Van 41 992 1,033 5.64 Truck 73 607 680 3.71 Train 5 2 7 0.04 TOTAL 466 17,842 18,308 100.00

Table 4 shows the number of serious and fatal accidents that occurred at major roads (no control of access) in Metro Manila (MMDA, 2005). In 2005, accidents involving cars still ranked number one followed by accidents involving motorcycles. Most of the accidents occurred at EDSA, Commonwealth Ave., and C-5. To many, EDSA and Commonwealth Ave have been tagged as the most hazardous roads in Metro Manila. Both roads are very wide and operating at very high speed. Currently, speed limit signs are not installed along major roads in Metro Manila. On these roads, almost all types of vehicles could freely weave from one lane to another lane.

Most of the accidents involving motorcycles occurred during night time. In Metro Manila, this is the period when traffic police/enforcers are least visible. Moreover, police reports would lead to several cases of motorcyclists driving under the influence of alcohol.

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Table 4 Fatal and injury road crashes along arterials Vehicle type Road Bicycle/ Motor Tricycle Car Jeepney Taxi/FX Bus Van Truck Pedicab cycle Quezon Ave. 9 50 6 83 26 15 6 17 14 C-3 13 16 10 39 12 4 0 20 30 Commonwealth 26 183 38 243 138 58 73 95 33 Ave. C-5 18 117 16 158 31 29 3 45 33 EDSA 21 159 9 275 62 74 195 94 37 Marcos 6 43 4 46 17 9 0 10 8 Highway

TOTAL 100 579 87 862 294 191 278 287 185

7. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The paper has presented the situation of road safety of motorcyclists in Metro Manila. The situation has already reached an alarming level as the number of motorcycles increases by more than 40% annually. The number of road crashes involving motorcycles has been more than the number of crashes involving cars since 2007.

There is much to learn from our neighbours in the ASEAN region as we observe a strong pattern of high incidence of road crashes with increasing number of motorcycles. Considered as a best practice, Malaysia, for instance, has been successful in reducing road crashes involving motorcycles by providing exclusive lane for them. Recognizing the vulnerability of motorcyclists as they compete road space with four wheelers, this would be the appropriate time for the government to implement policies regarding motorcycles. There is no need to tarry and wait until the situation gets worst. In the main cities in the Philippines, the focus is largely to provide better mobility to four wheel vehicles. However, the increasing number of motorcycles and the corresponding increasing number of accidents over the past few years can no longer be ignored. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the governing traffic authority in Metro Manila, is bent on widening all major roads in the city. Such provision of exclusive lane for motorcycles should be considered. Moreover, in planning for the construction of new roads and rehabilitation of existing ones in other cities, provision of motorcycle and bicycle lanes should be integrated.

Regulation on the movement of motorcycles along major roads must be strictly enforced. Just like the four wheel vehicles, motorcycles must maintain their lane. They should not be allowed to weave through the traffic. Such regulation must be incorporated in the revision of the country’s traffic code.

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Speed limits are currently not imposed in Metro Manila. However, for the protection of vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists), speed limits must be imposed along major roads. As far as the motorcyclists are concerned, they have the general tendency to speed up which could lead to miscalculation of traffic gaps and condition of the road pavement. Imposing speed limits may entail the conduct of spot speed studies especially at black spot locations.

At present, the Congress is yet to pass a law on wearing helmets. In its place, ordinances in some cities have been passed. However, to reduce the severity of road crashes involving motorcycles, strict regulation on wearing helmets must be enforced. Helmets must also conform to standards. The use of light-colored helmets (and clothes) must also be encouraged to improve visibility.

The number of riders (including driver) must be limited to two. Although not observed on major roads, 4 riders (2 adults and 2 children) are not uncommon on secondary roads.

Motorcycle and scooter riders must be trained on defensive driving skills. Motorcyclists clubs have become very popular in the country. This training through the assistance of highly skilled riders could be coursed through these organizations.

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REFERENCES

Asian Development Bank, Arrive Alive, Manila, 2005. Global Road Safety Partnership, Road Safety Good Practice Manuals: Helmets, 2006. Group-Philippine National Police, Traffic Accident Statistics, 2008 Javier, S.F., Philippine Transportation Statistics, 2008. Land Transportation Office, Statistics on vehicle registration, 2008. Metro Manila Development Authority, Traffic Accident Reports, 2005-2008. World Health Organization, Global Status Report on Road Safety: Time for Action, 2009.

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