Chapter I

Introduction

I.1 Background of the Study

Road vehicles are commonly the means of moving from one point to another in

urban and rural places. With the popularity of cars, motors, and buses as a means of

transportation, exposed more commuters to road accidents. A road accident involves at

least one road vehicle, occurring on the road open to public circulation, which one or

more persons injured or killed. Using a road vehicle for intentionally malicious acts such

as murder or suicide does not count as road accidents. Road accidents have several

types, and classified as vehicle rollovers, single car accidents, head-on collisions, rear-

end collisions, or side-impact accidents [1].

The causes of road accidents, documented throughout the world, varied from

excessive speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and foreign substances, and

driving while using mobile phones. The road facilities and lack of law enforcement are

also factors in road accidents. These are unsafe road infrastructure, unsafe vehicles,

inadequate post-crash care, and insufficient traffic laws enforcement.

The drivers and victims involved in these accidents can vary with age, from

teenagers to the elderly being common casualties in these accidents due to

inexperience and distractions from other forms of technology from teenagers to a lack of

alertness and reaction time elderly. With gender, males are more likely to be involved in

car crashes than females. Around 73% of all road traffic deaths occur among young
males under 25 years old and are 3 times as likely to be killed in a road traffic crash as

young females [2].

People, traffic planners, government take proper actions to combat road traffic

accidents. The comprehensive traffic plans involve different sectors, such as transport,

police, health, and education. Effective interventions include designing safer

infrastructure and incorporating road safety features into land-use and transport

planning, improving the safety features of vehicles, improving post-crash care for

victims of road crashes, setting and enforcing laws relating to key risks, and raising

public awareness. Despite these countermeasures, road accidents are still rampant

throughout the world, with staggering and tragic losses.

The World Health Organization reports that with every passing year, around 1.35

million deaths in the world due to road accidents [3]. Another 20 to 50 million more

people involved in these accidents suffer non-fatal injuries, with many likely receiving a

permanent disability due to their accident. These damages, deaths, and injuries cause

considerable financial worries to the people involved, their families, and their nations as

a whole, costing them 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP). Low socioeconomic

status is a factor in these accidents. Over 90% of car accident deaths occur in countries

with low and middling income, with its highest death & injury rates in the African region.

Still, high-income countries are not immune to this as people with lower socioeconomic

standing have greater chances to be involved in road accidents [4].

The Philippines is especially troubled by these car crashes as it ranks 118 th in the

number of death rates in road accidents. The annual crash report of the Metropolitan

Manila Development Authority (MMDA) shows that 121,771 road accidents in 2019
increased by 4.16% from the year prior. Last 2018, there are 116,906 road accidents, a

6.25% increase from the prior year. Also, from the reports, an average of 334 car

accidents per day, with 1 resulting in a fatality, 56 being non-fatal, and 276 leading to

property damages. Meanwhile, there were 20,466 non-fatal accidents and 100,933 road

mishaps that caused severe property damage. The highest involvement in last year's

reported road incidents involved cars and motorcycles, accounting for 118,552 and

35,006 for cars and motors, respectively. But motorcycle-related deaths were more

significant in number with 234 fatalities [5].

Davao City is no better than the rest of the country. The Davao City Transport and

Traffic Management Office (CTTMO), responsible for monitoring and implementing

traffic plans in Davao City, reported 13,709 vehicular accidents from January to

November 2018. In their report, it showed private vehicles such as the Sedan and Sport

Utility Vehicles had the highest number of vehicular accidents recorded with 4,107. With

truck accidents there were 2,231, while 1,644 accidents involved motorcycles. There

are 804 public utility jeepneys vehicular accidents, while there were 959 for taxis [6].

Finally, a total of 940 pedestrians hit by runaway cars were involved in vehicular

accidents.

The increasing number and cause of road accidents motivated this study to

analyze various road accidents in Davao City, and the need to understand the details of

these accidents by knowing how, when, where, and why it happened. In this way,

implementing traffic management systems mitigates future road accidents of the

location. This study aims to create a QGIS map that is integrated into a PC application

and can map reported road accidents in Davao City.

I.2 Statement of the Problem

As stated in earlier reports, hundreds to thousands of road accidents have taken

place worldwide. Here in the Philippines, road accidents are a constant problem in

every major city, especially in Davao City, where deaths and injuries within a calendar

year are numerous. These unfortunate losses are the result of various vehicles, and

almost all people are aware of these reasons. Local governments and citizens in Davao

have tried various measures to stifle most of these problems. The most recent is the

speed limit implementation, traffic light upgrading, and integration of road cameras.

Despite the best efforts and traffic management teams handling these crashes, many

more road accidents are still happening today with alarming frequency.

This study introduces a road network analysis using QGIS and web application

that saves road accident information such as locations, vehicle types, and causes of the

accident. This information serves as the baseline data of the traffic planners for the

traffic management system of the location. This data also aids the deployment of traffic

enforcers in the locality, thus optimizing the traffic workforce.

I.3 Objectives of the Study

 The main objective of this study is to create a QGIS map integrated into a PC

application, which serves as access to road accident incidents in Davao City. The

specific objectives of the study are as follows.

1. To gather crash data from news reports and government records through

CTTMO that spans from 2016-2019. It includes the type and severity of the

crash, time of occurrence, information about the people involved in the crash

(victims and perpetrators, whether intentional or accidental), and vehicle

information.

2. To create a QGIS baseline map of Davao City that displays the political

boundaries in terms of districts and barangays. The map shows the crash

hotspots correlated with the causes, road geometry, and road networks.

3. To integrate the QGIS map in a web page application and access for both the

residents and the emergency responders. This application aids the emergency

response teams in the locality to know the various crash hotspots for traffic

planning.

I.4 Significance of the Study

The importance of this study is to help 911 emergency response teams of Davao

City in the data saving and emergency and traffic planning. This study also helps the

response teams in having a system that can track accident-prone areas along with the

necessary information on the road accident cases.

I.5 Scope and Limitations

 The study area is within the vicinity of Davao City only. The system disregards

reported road accidents, not within the boundary of the city. The data used for this study

will also only cover vehicular accidents occurring from 2016-2019.

The study is limited to the reported accidents only, be it through crowdsourcing or

traffic enforcers. The data gathered from the road accidents are location or landmarks,

vehicle type involved in the accidents, and the type of accident. The study does not

account for potential factors preventing the areas from being accident-prone and is not

part of study output.

I.6 Definition of Terms

GIS (Geographic Information System) – GIS is a computer system for capturing, storing,

checking, and displaying data related to positions on the Earth's surface. This

framework can help individuals and organizations better understand spatial

patterns and relationships by relating seemingly unrelated data.

QGIS (Quantum GIS) – QGIS is a user-friendly Open Source Geographic Information

System (GIS) licensed under the GNU General Public License. QGIS is virtually

the same system as GIS but is free to use for any user.

Emergency Responder – Also known as first responders, they are individuals trained to

assist victims of injury or poor health at the scene of an emergency.

Crash Hotspot
Road Network

Traffic Management System