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| Halsema Highway in Benguet province |
Road accidents are not a surprising event in this country. The Philippines has one of the most dangerous network of roads in Asia with thousands dying annually in roads that are not monitored and not maintained well. To inform the public which roads are considered the most dangerous in this country, I’ve decided to do some research. Most of my data came from various news agencies such as GMA News, ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Wikipedia.
1. Maharlika Highway (Bicol Section and Quezon Province Section)
Also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway, this 3,517 kilometer road stretches from Laoag City, Ilocos Norte up to Zamboanga City in Mindanao. It is part of the Asian Highway Netwerk with a designation number of AH26. It connects Luzon, Visayas (Samar and Leyte) and Mindanao through the use of ferries and bridges aside from concrete roads. Some sections of Maharlika Highway have figured in a lot of accidents in the past. The Bicol section figured in the August 2010 death of Bb. Pilipinas International Melody Gershbach after a bus rammed her vehicle in Bula, Camarines Sur. The Pagbilao, Quezon section also took 9 lives when a Manila-bound bus from Tacloban City fell of a 30-feet ravine on the side of the highway.
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| Transcentral Highway in Balamban, Cebu |
This highway traverses the Cebu mountain range that separates the cities of Toledo and Cebu. Due to its mountainous location, it has a lot of curved and steep passages which can get foggy on rainy days, some of which have not been built with concrete side barriers to protect vehicles from falling off its ravines. In June 2010, 30 people were killed in the section of this highway in Balamban town when a their bus fell off a 30-meter ravine. Most of the casualties were Iranian medical students who were on their way back to Cebu after an excursion.
3. Baguio Highways (Marcos Highway, Naguilian and Kennon Roads)
The arduous and steep terrain the highways leading to Baguio City has claimed a lot of lives in years past. Despite the majestic views from these roads, annually hundreds die along its cliffs due to landslides, foggy conditions, human error or mechanical failures in vehicles. In August 2010, 42 people died when La Union-bound Eso-Nice Bus fell off a 100-foot deep ravine along Naguilian Road in Sablan town, Benguet. The same area where the Eso-Nice bus fell also figured in a January 1999 accident which killed 30 people.
4. STAR Tollway (Lipa-Batangas Section)
This four-lane highway didn’t figure prominently in vehicular accidents when it opened in 2001 and was in fact a model of traffic safety for sometime until its two-lane only section between Lipa and Batangas cities opened in 2008, cramping up the volume of vehicles coming from both north and south bound directions. Aside from the accident yesterday, in October 2010, 5 people were killed in another collision which involved another bus and jeepney.
5. South Luzon Expressway
Before is massive, multi-million improvement under the management of a joint Filipino-Malaysian venture, SLEX was had some significant records in terms of accidents due to the lack of enforcement of speeding laws in the highway. Just this December 2010, 17 vehicles figured in a pile-up near Susana Heights Exit when a dump truck running beyond the speed limit rammed other vehicles in front of it.
6. Halsema Highway
Halsema Highway is considered one of the most dangerous highways in the world. Everyday, commuters, transporters, tourists, and residents coming from Baguio or Mt. Province ply this route, braving steep crags, narrow, unpaved roads and sheer drop offs, some more than 1000 feet, without a safety guard rail. Known as the “main artery" of the Cordillera’s road system, the 150-mile Halsema Highway links Baguio and Benguet province to the rest of Northern Luzon. Though it may seem that life on this mountaintop is a “walk in the clouds," at 7400 ft. above sea level things always seem to hang in the balance. There is the constant threat of landslides, rockslides and mud slides during the rainy season. Inevitable road accidents due to thick fog are recorded on a yearly basis along its cliffs. In 2009, typhoon Pepeng caused a landslide that ravaged Barangay Pasdong that claimed 4 lives.
7. Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA)
In 2009, according to the PNP, EDSA ranked 1st in most number of vehicular accidents in Metro Manila. This is not surprising since EDSA is the main artery of the city’s road network, due to the volume of vehicle passing through it everyday and because of the presence of commercial and recreational landmarks along it. The presence of concrete barriers, U-turn slots and metal loading bays, as well as the lax enforcement of traffic laws, also complicates the matter. Plus, the construction of billboard towers along it poses a huge danger during typhoons and high winds.
8. Commonwealth Avenue
This other main artery of the metro in Quezon City is dubbed as the Killer Highway for the most number of fatalities it has incurred throughout the history of its vehicular accidents. This high number is attributed to the lack of pedestrian infrastructure, as well as lack of enforcement of traffic laws which allows buses and other vehicles to go beyond the speed limit especially at night. The area is also poorly lit and only has a number of traffic lights and signals. Some desperate Filipinos have even used the highway to commit suicide by deliberately having themselves rammed in the middle of the street.
3. Baguio Highways (Marcos Highway, Naguilian and Kennon Roads)
The arduous and steep terrain the highways leading to Baguio City has claimed a lot of lives in years past. Despite the majestic views from these roads, annually hundreds die along its cliffs due to landslides, foggy conditions, human error or mechanical failures in vehicles. In August 2010, 42 people died when La Union-bound Eso-Nice Bus fell off a 100-foot deep ravine along Naguilian Road in Sablan town, Benguet. The same area where the Eso-Nice bus fell also figured in a January 1999 accident which killed 30 people.
4. STAR Tollway (Lipa-Batangas Section)
This four-lane highway didn’t figure prominently in vehicular accidents when it opened in 2001 and was in fact a model of traffic safety for sometime until its two-lane only section between Lipa and Batangas cities opened in 2008, cramping up the volume of vehicles coming from both north and south bound directions. Aside from the accident yesterday, in October 2010, 5 people were killed in another collision which involved another bus and jeepney.
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| SLEX after its improvement. |
Before is massive, multi-million improvement under the management of a joint Filipino-Malaysian venture, SLEX was had some significant records in terms of accidents due to the lack of enforcement of speeding laws in the highway. Just this December 2010, 17 vehicles figured in a pile-up near Susana Heights Exit when a dump truck running beyond the speed limit rammed other vehicles in front of it.
6. Halsema Highway
Halsema Highway is considered one of the most dangerous highways in the world. Everyday, commuters, transporters, tourists, and residents coming from Baguio or Mt. Province ply this route, braving steep crags, narrow, unpaved roads and sheer drop offs, some more than 1000 feet, without a safety guard rail. Known as the “main artery" of the Cordillera’s road system, the 150-mile Halsema Highway links Baguio and Benguet province to the rest of Northern Luzon. Though it may seem that life on this mountaintop is a “walk in the clouds," at 7400 ft. above sea level things always seem to hang in the balance. There is the constant threat of landslides, rockslides and mud slides during the rainy season. Inevitable road accidents due to thick fog are recorded on a yearly basis along its cliffs. In 2009, typhoon Pepeng caused a landslide that ravaged Barangay Pasdong that claimed 4 lives.
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| EDSA near Guadalupe |
In 2009, according to the PNP, EDSA ranked 1st in most number of vehicular accidents in Metro Manila. This is not surprising since EDSA is the main artery of the city’s road network, due to the volume of vehicle passing through it everyday and because of the presence of commercial and recreational landmarks along it. The presence of concrete barriers, U-turn slots and metal loading bays, as well as the lax enforcement of traffic laws, also complicates the matter. Plus, the construction of billboard towers along it poses a huge danger during typhoons and high winds.
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| Commonwealth Avenue |
This other main artery of the metro in Quezon City is dubbed as the Killer Highway for the most number of fatalities it has incurred throughout the history of its vehicular accidents. This high number is attributed to the lack of pedestrian infrastructure, as well as lack of enforcement of traffic laws which allows buses and other vehicles to go beyond the speed limit especially at night. The area is also poorly lit and only has a number of traffic lights and signals. Some desperate Filipinos have even used the highway to commit suicide by deliberately having themselves rammed in the middle of the street.
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