CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

In developing countries, motorcycle has been the most

convenient mode of transportation due to its affordability,

and accessibility. It is also a big help in decreasing the

traffic congestion in cities and it contributes less

environmental impact compared to cars.

Enhanced maneuverability is one reason people choose to

drive motorcycles. However, the factors that make a

motorcycle more maneuverable than a passenger car—their

lightness, small size, and agility—also make a motorcyclist

more vulnerable to accident. Most of the motorcycle accident

happens because somebody involved was negligent. An accident

that might be inconsequential when two passenger cars are

involved can be devastating when a motorcycle is involved.

There are no layers of metal protection between a

motorcyclist and a passenger car striking it. Even when a

motorcyclist wears a helmet, he or she may suffer a brain

injury after an accident. Catastrophic injuries are common in

motorcycle accident cases. Those who suffer serious injuries

or disabilities in a crash may have to change vocations

(Motorcycle Accidents, 2018).

In Thailand, a 2015 report of WHO said there were 26.3

motorcycle-related deaths for every 100,000 people, the

highest in the world. Motorcycles are a common mode of

transport for Thais. Last year, they bought 1.74 million

motorcycles compared with only 768,788 cars, according to the

Thai Automotive Industry Association. In the first quarter of

this year, 461,783 motorcycles were sold. A 2015 study by the

Thailand Accident Research Centre (Tarc) said motorbikes are

popular for their convenience, low fuel and maintenance costs,

and affordability. CSIP director AdisakPlitpolkarnpim said

the practice of allowing children to ride motorbikes is

prevalent, especially in provinces. "Children ride them to

school, for fun, or to run errands for their parents," he

said. Under Thai law, those who are 15 years old can get a

driver's licence for vehicles with engines less than 110cc,

but Dr Adisak said this is widely violated. CSIP said about

15,800 children get into motorcycle-related accidents

annually, resulting in an estimated 700 deaths. Reducing

these numbers will take more than a road safety video.

 Meanwhile in United Kingdom, motorcyclists have an

especially poor safety record when compared to other road

user groups. The killed and serious injury rate, per million

vehicle kilometres, is approximately twice that of pedal

cyclists and over 16 times that of car drivers and passengers.

Motorcyclists make up less than 1% of vehicle traffic but

their riders suffer 14% of total deaths and serious injuries

on Britain’s roads. 26,192 motorcyclists (this figure

includes moped and scooter riders) and pillion passengers

were injured in reported accidents in Great Britain in 1999.

6,361 of these injuries were considered serious and 547

motorcyclists and passengers were killed.

In the most populated country in the world, China, more

than 700 people are killed in road accidents every day,

according to the World Health Organisation. The WHO estimates

that traffic accident claim about 260,000 deaths on the

mainland each year, of which with 60 percent are vulnerable

road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

China’s drive for better road safety is starting to pay

dividends but it still has a way to go. The increasing use of

electric bikes in urban areas in China for courier delivering

has become a new concern for road safety with the development
of e-business, experts admit. He Yong, deputy president of

the research institute of highways at the Ministry of

Transportation, said the central government was considering

whether to categorise e-bikes as bicycles or vehicles, where

different rules will apply. “But banning e-bikes is not be

the answer,” He said. Rather, reining in bad drivers should

be the main priority. The Geneva-based UN body said traffic

accidents were among the top 10 causes of death in the world

and the leading cause of death for people aged from 15 to 29.

A comparative study of different vehicle users showed

that Motorcycle riders are likely to experience

craniocerebral injuries during accidents. Data collected from

70 countries on MC riders showed that the primary contributor

to death rates is the helmet non-usage percentage. Thus, many

countries enforce a helmet law to protect MC riders. Studies

showed that use of helmets is associated with reduced

mortality due to head and neck injury. However, poor

implementation of the law and the use of substandard quality

of helmets adversely affect injury prevention. The use of

novelty helmets that are lightweight and do not have energy

absorbing liner may not give adequate protection against head

injury (Erhardt, 2016).

The limited experience in riding a motorcycle had been

attributed by many researchers to accidents. A study of MC

accidents in a hospital in Brazil showed that young riders

with less than 5 years of experience are more likely to

encounter accidents. The same pattern was also observed among

young riders in Norway. Driving experience alone does not

determine safe driving as Crundall (2013) discovered that

motorcycle riders with advance training had the fastest

hazard response times compared to experienced riders.

Similarly, Di Stasi (2011) concluded that training improved

the riding ability of novice users. Magazzu (2006) also found

out that MC riders that have experience driving cars are more

likely to drive safely because of empathy.

According to the report of World Health Organization

last 2015, about half or 53% of road traffic deaths in the

Philippines are motorcycle riders. The increasing rate of

motorcycle accidents directly is proportional to the

increasing number of motorcycles in the Philippines. This is

mainly because of accessibility especially in Metro Manila

where heavy traffic is a norm already.

 The rise in motorcycle ownership in the Philippines led

to the increase in the number of accidents related to its use.

From 2004- 2006, around 6.7% of trauma admission at the

Philippine General Hospital (PGH) are victims of MC accidents

(Consunji , 2013) and in a case study conducted in 2013 at

the Manila Doctors Hospital 40.4% of injuries in the sample

of 156 patient records were related to motorcycle accidents

(O’Connor and Ruiz, 2014).

The Philippine government has implemented the Mandatory

Helmet Act in 2010 that penalizes motorcycle riders not using

helmets. The Bureau of Product Standards was also mandated to

test helmets that are sold in the country (Malig, 2010). Only

helmets that have the Philippine Standard (PS) mark or the

Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) provided by the Department

of Trade and Industry (DTI) must be used. From a survey

conducted by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA),

98% use helmets but only 57% use it properly and 42% did not

pass the helmet standards set by authorities (World Health

Organization, 2016). The Land Transportation and Traffic Code

of 1991 also prohibit driving under the influence of liquor

and narcotics. The effectiveness of these interventions has

yet to be evaluated.
 According to the Metro Manila Development Authority

(MMDA), motorcycles are more prone to accidents as they

expose the driver and passenger/s to twice as much risk than

in four-wheel vehicles. Although there have been laws

implemented on Traffic Laws Regulations, specifically on

motorcycles, accidents have been declared as one of the

leading causes of death in the Philippines. The alarmingly

growing number of motorcycle accidents can be attributed to a

number of environment and driver dependent factors

specifically variables found in the Philippine Police Report

form. Among the environment factors in the form are day, time

and month of the accident, junction type, movement, road

character/type, surface and lighting conditions (MetroManila

Development Authority, 2009).

One of the highest motorcycle accident rate recorded in

the Philippines was in Cebu, as per World Health Organization.

The Cebu City Councilor Edgardo Labella strictly implemented

city’s traffic rules due to high rate of motorcycle accidents.

Dr.SoeNyunt-U, WHO representative from Mongolia, visited the

said city and raised concerns on the traffic-related

accidents in the city and said accidents involving

motorcycles constituted 21 percent of the recorded accidents

in 2006, as per records from the Land Transportation Office.

This percentage followed the 27 percent accident rate

involving automobiles, also in the same year. Meanwhile, the

Philippine National Police-Traffic Management Group also

recorded that 81 percent of traffic accidents that were

reported from 1998 to 2006 were due to human factors. Aside

from the official data from the government agencies,

motorcycle riders themselves observe that many motorists tend

to disregard traffic rules and light signals. Many motorcycle

riders have been reportedly been driving without safety

helmets and even engage in “counter-flow maneuvers”. Other

causes of motorcycle-related accidents include “dangerous

passes and maneuvers; showing-off; bobbing and weaving

between lanes; using outer lane when overtaking; offensive,

rather than defensive driving; and using sidewalks and zebra

crossings that are intended for pedestrians” (Ocao, 2008)

The Philippine National Police- Highway Patrol Group

Director Chief Supt. ArnelEscobal said that human error was

the top reason for most motorcycle accidents. He said he

wants to propose mandatory safety training for motorists even

before they are allowed to purchase motorcycles. Based on

data gathered by PNP-HPG, there have been a total of 11,477

recorded accidents from last year until the first four months

of the year: 9,574 from January to December 2017, and 1,903

from January until April this year.

Municipal of Santa Cruz is the capital town of Laguna,

Philippines. It is a first class urban municipality with a

total land area of 3,860 hectares. According to the latest

census, Santa Cruz's population is 101,914. Since 1885, Santa

Cruz has been the seat of the provincial government; thus,

this town has administrative function over the entire Laguna

province. Santa Cruz has neither natural tourist spot nor

man-made attraction; however, it serves as the business and

commercial hub particularly for the predominantly rural

northeastern towns of the province. Aside from being the

present-day trading post for the less-developed

municipalities, Santa Cruz fulfills its roles as service

center; health, education, transportation, commerce, and

social services center for the entire province. In line with

this, the Municipality of Sta. Cruz experiences traffic

congestion especially during rush hours which resulted to

significantly increase in the number of motorcycles. In

connection with this, there have been a lot of motorcycle

accidents recently, mostly in national highways. Some of the

accidents are mostly triggered by drunk driving, over

speeding, lack of driving skills, overloading, and improperly

maintained roadways. There are a lot of checkpoints mainly

for motorcycle because the accident rate is increasing. It is

said to be one of the municipal’s precautionary measure to

diminish the rate of accidents.

Figure 1. Map of Santa Cruz Laguna

Figure 1. Map of Santa Cruz Laguna

Rationale

The above literatures serve as a driving force in the

formulation of the research study. It helps a lot in dealing

with the direction of the output of the study.

 Being a Criminology Student, a resident of Santa Cruz,

Laguna, and interested on the above problem, the researcher

was motivated to make a study on Motorcycle Accidents in

Selected Barangays of Sta.Cruz, Laguna.

Significance of the Study

The proponent being a Criminology student of Laguna

State Polytechnic University Santa Cruz, Main Campus, pursued

to conduct a careful study regarding the analysis of

motorcycle accidents in the Municipality.

MUNICIPALITY OF SANTA CRUZ

The study aims to help in understanding motor accidents

and their underlying causes in the Municipality of Santa Cruz

Laguna. Moreover, it also aims to provide possible solutions

to alleviate accident rates.

MOTORIST/RIDERS

This study is most helpful to the motorist because the

study will provide knowledge regarding the causes of

accidents and will give them the idea to be more careful on

such aspects to prevent accidents.

COMMUNITY

The findings from this study hoped to be beneficial also

to the; pillions, municipality, and the general public as the

research findings identified the gaps and possible ways of

filling such gaps to curb motorcycle accidents.

GOVERNMENT

Lastly, the study intends to identify new areas of

concern within the motorcycle transport sector which will

trigger interest for more research in the areas and

subsequently lead to discovery of new knowledge and insights

to transport stakeholders.

LEGAL BASIS

Republic Act No. 10054 ‘An Act Mandating All Motorcycle

Riders To Wear Standard Protective Motorcycle Helmets While

Driving And Providing Penalties Therefor .

In Section 2 of Republic Act No. 10054 stated that “It is

hereby declared the policy of the State to secure and

safeguard its citizenry, particularly the operators or

drivers of motorcycles and their passengers, from the ruinous

and extremely injurious effects of fatal or life threatening

accidents and crashes. Towards this end, it shall pursue a

more proactive and preventive approach to secure the safety

of motorists, their passengers and pedestrians at all times

through the mandatory enforcement of the use of standard

protective motorcycle helmet.”

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10586“An Act Penalizing Persons Driving

Under The Influence Of Alcohol, Dangerous Drugs, And Similar

Substances, And For Other Purposes.

Theoretical Framework

The researcher wisely explored and selected theories to

establish a sense of structure that guides the research. It

provides the background that supports the research and offers

the reader a justification of the conclusion of the study.

Heinrich’s Domino Theory

According to W.H. Heinrich (1931), who developed the so-

called domino theory, 88% of all accidents are caused by

unsafe acts of people, 10% by unsafe actions and 2% by “acts

of God”. He proposed a “five-factor accident sequence” in

which each factor would actuate the next step in the manner

of toppling dominoes lined up in a row. The sequence of

accident factors is as follows:

1. ancestry and social environment

2. worker fault

3. unsafe act together with mechanical and physical hazard

4. accident

5. damage or injury.

In the same way that the removal of a single domino in

the row would interrupt the sequence of toppling, Heinrich

suggested that removal of one of the factors would prevent

the accident and resultant injury; with the key domino to be

removed from the sequence being number 3. Although Heinrich

provided no data for his theory, it nonetheless represents a

useful point to start discussion and a foundation for future

research.

The accident is avoided, according to Heinrich, by

removing one of the dominoes, normally the middle one or

unsafe act. This theory provided the foundation for accident

prevention measures aimed at preventing unsafe acts or unsafe

conditions.

All in all, the Domino Theory states that all accidents

whether major or minor are caused, there is no such thing as

an accidental accident, very few accidents, particularly in

large organisations and complex technologies are associated

with a single cause, and the causes of accidents are usually

complex and interactive.

Prospect Theory

A theory entitled ’Prospect Theory’ by Daniel Kahneman

and Amos Tversky (1979),"In prospect theory, loss aversion

refers to the tendency for people to strongly prefer choosing

gain than losses. It suggests people express a different

degree of emotion towards gains than toward losses.

Individuals are more stressed by prospective losses than they

are happy from equal gains.” The theory proposed that the

outcome of the decision is based on the perceived gains than

its perceived losses. In regard to his study, the motorcycle

users who had been experience motorcycle accident choose to

use or ride again a motorcycle because of the advantages they

got in using it.

Accident proneness theory

Accident proneness theory maintains that within a given

set of workers, there exists a subset of workers who are more

liable to be involved in accidents. Researchers have not been

able to prove this theory conclusively because most of the

research work has been poorly conducted and most of the

findings are contradictory and inconclusive. This theory is

not generally accepted. It is felt that if indeed this theory

is supported by any empirical evidence at all, it probably

accounts for only a very low proportion of accidents without

any statistical significance.

Conceptual Framework

In this study the conceptual framework will be derived

from the research variables and will seek to show the

relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

The conceptual frameworks attempt to explain the relationship

between the independent and dependent variable.

Road Safety Precautions

Road traffic safety refers to the methods and

measures used to prevent road users from being killed or

seriously injured. It is about reducing the crash risk which

involves applying the road design standards and guidelines

improving driver behaviour and enforcement.

Road Infrastructure
Road infrastructure consists of the installation of

fixed assets including surface roads and railways and

terminals such as bus stops, trucking terminals, railways

stations. Operations of vehicles along these transport

systems make the travel time to reduce and generation of

employment in the sector which in aggregate influence the

aggregate demand for goods and services that ultimately leads

to increase in GDP and overall development.

Research Paradigm

Figure 2 presents the paradigm of the study which shows

the processes of the study. The dependent variable which

tries to assess on the motorcycle accident is selected

barangays of Santa Cruz Laguna will be evaluated by the

independent variable such as Road safety precautions , Road

safety Devices, Road Infrastructure. The independent variable

will be evaluated established by the way the moderator

variables perceive.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT
VARIABLES
1. Status of motorcycle
accidents in Santa Cruz, Motorcycle
Laguna accidents in
selected
2. Level of implementation of Barangay of
the programs regarding Santa Cruz,
motorcycle in addressing Laguna
accident in terms of:

a. Road safety precautions

b. Road safety devices
c. Road infrastructure

3. Significant difference of
the level of implementation
of the programs as perceived
by the groups of
respondents.

4. Comments and issues as MODERATOR VARIABLE

perceived by the
respondents. 1. Municipal Police Officers of
Santa Cruz, Laguna

2. SantaCruz Laguna Traffic

Management Office traffic aids

3. Motorcycle riders in Santa

Cruz, Laguna
Statement of the problem and Hypothesis
The purpose of this study is to determine the status of
motorcycle accidents in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

The research will specifically answer the problems such as:

1. What is the status of motorcycle accidents in Santa Cruz,
Laguna?
2. What is the level of implementation of the programs
regarding motorcycle in addressing accident?
2.1 Road Safety Precautions
2.2 Road Safety Devices
2.3 Road Infrastructure
3. Is there a significant difference of the level of
implementation regarding from the programs as perceived by
the groups of respondents?
4. What are the Comments and Issues as perceived by the
respondents?

Hypotheses:

The level of motorcycle accidents in the Municipality of

Santa Cruz Province of Laguna has been increasing for the

last few years and is mostly caused by drunk driving, over

speeding, lack of driving skills, and environmental factors.

The programs that were made were not highly implemented in

the Municipality which does not have any effect to prevent

motorcycle.
Scope and Limitation of the Study

The research will be conducted in the Municipality of

Santa Cruz, Province of Laguna and it will mainly focus on

the status of motorcycle accidents within the municipality.

The respondents will involve three (3) groups including

Municipal Police Officers of Santa Cruz, Laguna, Santa Cruz

Laguna Traffic Management Office traffic aids and motorcycle

riders in Santa Cruz, Laguna. The study will be conducted

with a period of one (1) Semester.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Motorist - a person who drives a motorcycle.

Helmet - a hard or padded protective hat, various types of

which are worn by soldiers, police officers, firefighters,

motorcyclists, athletes, and others.

Drunk Driving - is the offense of driving a vehicle after you

have drunk more than the amount of alcohol that is

legally allowed.
Over speeding - is a condition in which an engine is allowed

or forced to turn beyond its design limit. The consequences

of running an engine too fast vary by engine type and model

and depend upon several factors, chief amongst them the

duration of theover speed and by the speed attained.

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter discusses the facts and principles related

to which the present study is related and make vague points

clearer.

Foreign Literature

According to Taiwo (2007), most drivers take for

granted the ability of their automobile to handle

minor road hazards such as pot holes or rail road tracks,

these minor road hazard are major problems for motorcycles

because these hazards may require sudden changes of

lane position and direction. Accidents due to

motorcycles riding especially in developing countries

like Nigeria increase every year due to the fact

that the motorcyclists do not follow the traffic rules

and they in their mentality believe they are the ”king on the

roads”.

Driver and rider training are commonly perceived by the

public as a panacea to many road safety problems,

particularly in regard to novice driver/rider crash

involvement. Despite the strong believe attached to training

and the ability to reduce accidents, the belief is not well

supported by empirical research, with past reviews suggesting

little or no benefit from formal training and educational

programs in terms of crash reduction for drivers or

motorcyclists (Christie, 2001; Haworth &Mulvihill, 2005;

Mayhew, Simpson, & Robinson, 2002; Watson et al., 1996)

Alcohol consumption is well known to impair driving and

riding performance and is implicated more frequently in fatal

crashes than non - fatal crashes (Siskind et al. 2011).

Additionally, motorcyclists are involved in crashes more

often at lower BAC than car drivers (Sun, Kahn, & Swan 1998).

Several studies have shown impairment at motorcycle riding

under the influence of low dose (≤ 0.08%) blood alcohol

concentration (BAC). According to N. Haworth et al., (2008)

the factors contributing to crash occurrence and injury

related to motorcycle accidents include: Being young,

Inexperience, riding a borrowed motorcycle, Consumption of

alcohol, curves, Slippery or uneven surfaces

According to Peden(2004),the road network has an effect

on crash risk because it determines how road users perceive

their environment, and it provides instructions for road

users, through signs and traffic controls, on what they

should be doing road hazards and driving conditions,

including weather, as well as whether it is day or night, can

lead to motorcycle accidents. Road hazards, which may include

potholes, slippery road conditions, wet roads, loose stone or

gravel, winding roads, blind spots, and even animals, can

cause motorcycle accidents. Road hazards such as fresh loose

stone, curves, and construction are supposed to be marked by

the highway management. If hazards are not clearly marked, or

not marked at all, highway management may be considered to be

negligent and at fault for the accident.

Lack of rider training and licensing were cited as the

main causes of accidents involving motorcycles in Queensland

Australia. Regardless of licensing requirements, rider

training and education has historically been seen as

important for improving rider safety, and continues to be

widely promoted by researchers and industry ( Bowdler,

2011; )

Foreign Studies

In a study “The Risk and Fatality in Motorcycle Crashes

with Roadside Barriers by Gabler H.C (2007), he concluded

that motorcycle-guardrail crash fatalities are a growing

problem. From 2000-2005, the number of car occupants who were

fatally injured in guardrail collisions declined by 31% from

251 to 171 deaths. In contrast, the number of fatally injured

motorcyclists increased by 73% from 129 to 224 fatalities

during the same time period. Approximately, one in eight

motorcyclists who struck a guardrail were fatally injured – a

fatality risk over 80 times higher than for car occupants

involved in a collision with a guardrail. Guardrail

collisions pose a substantially greater risk for

motorcyclists than do concrete barrier collisions. The

fatality risk in motorcycleguardrail collisions is 12%. The

fatality risk in motorcycle-concrete barrier collisions is 8%.

Motorcycle-roadside barrier crash fatalities are an unmet and

growing safety problem in the U.S. There is a critical need

for the development and/or implementation of new safety

programs,advanced barrier designs, and enhanced vehiclebased

countermeasures to protect motorcyclists in collisions with

guardrails.

In a study conducted by Manan, M. and Varhelyi A. (July

2012), motorcycle fatalities are more frequent in rural areas

may be due to greater speeds made possible by lower traffic

volumes and less traffic control. In rural areas, absence of

rescue and the latearrival of rescue at the scene of

accidents may also contribute to fatality. Moreover, helmet

compliance is low in rural areas due to lack of enforcement

and road safety awareness. Besides, a high motorcycle volume

is typical in rural areas in Malaysia, comprising 25% to 55%

of total traffic. On the other hand, studieshave confirmed

that fatal motorcycle crashes are likely to occur onstraight

road sections that encourage speeding.

According to the study of Morris, Teoh, and Campbell

(2010) the common rider -specific crash risks include

speeding (over limit) and inappropriate speeds, rider

impairment, unlicensed riding, holding a foreign license ,

non-use of helmets, male gender, rider age (younger or older),

rider inexperience and riding for recreation(Atubi, 2009b).

Cases of fatal road traffic accidents are reported almost

daily on the major highways. Road accidents appear to occur

regularly at some flash points such as where there are sharp

bends, potholes and at bad sections of the highways. At such

points over speeding drivers usually find it difficult to

control their vehicles, which then result to fatal traffic

accidents, especially at night.

Local Literature

Flores(2011) stated that accidents are documented

through the police report form that includes environment and

driver dependent variables Environmental variables are

conditions that potentially influence the performance of the

motorcycle driver but are uncontrollable such as street

lighting, surface conditions, and road character while

personal variables are usually driver characteristics such as

gender, age, and behaviour. The Asian Development Bank (2005)

has conducted several studies that characterized accidents in

terms of these variables but accident likelihood was not

predicted. As such, the reports have not identified which

ones are significant in predicting motorcycle accidents in

similar developing countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia.

The local authorities can regularly conduct breath tests

as means of introducing the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving

Law to the riding population. The administration of these

tests psychologically influences potential violators not to

drink while driving. The tests can be conducted especially

during weekends and holidays when more people are inclined to

drink. The Philippine government will prioritize the

procurement of these breathalysers because as of 2017 there

is a limited number available (Sauler, 2017). Recently the

MMDA partnered with Manila Bulletin, a local newspaper to

create awareness about drunken driving (Alavaren, 2016).

Local Studies

According to the Study of Dr.Ruiz (2014) entitled

“Alcohol and Hospitalized Road Traffic Injuries in the

Philippines” while some studies show that alcohol is present

in up to 18 percent of ER injuries, the numbers from this

small pilot study are comparatively quite low. This could be

due to several factors. Manila Doctors Hospital does not deal

with many trauma patients because there is a nearby trauma

care centre in Philippine General Hospital. Because of this,

there were not many RTI patients in general, and the ones who

did present had less severe injuries than ones who might

present to a trauma care centre. Taking into account the fact

that alcohol can heighten the risk of severe injuries, it may

be that there would be a higher rate of alcohol in road

injury patients at trauma facilities. Additionally,

intoxicated drivers who may have injured pedestrians were not

represented in this study. As such, the injuries suffered by

pedestrians could have potentially been alcohol-related even

if they had not themselves been the consumers of alcohol.

 According to the study of Barde (2015), Motorcycle

Accidents, The other important factors about the traffic

accident are road markings or road signage(s) factors. As one

can see in Commonwealth Avenue, some of the drivers is lack

of knowledge about road markings as to where and when are

they going to overtake and to slow down, and this also

contributes to or cause the accidents Drivers’ lacking

knowledge about road signage(s) is the other factor which

causes accidents in Commonwealth Avenue. Inefficient and

ignorant drivers who are not experienced enough cause real

problems in traffic. The drivers who got their licenses from

bad driving courses or schools, cause traffic accidents

because they become drivers without actually having enough

knowledge about driving and also about traffic rules.

Therefore, this also makes them become responsible for the

undesirable conditions on the road.

Villoria and Diaz (2000) in their study, “Road Accidents

in the Philippines” concluded that there is a critical need

for the government to address the more fundamental problem of

inadequate and inaccurate traffic accident data. Without

establishing an effective accident reporting, processing and

dissemination system, it would be extremely difficult not

only to monitor the level of road traffic safety but also to

formulate and implement cost-effective road safety programs.

With the rapidly increasing motorization level, indeed the

need for attention to and investments in improving road

safety is a prime concern.

Synthesis

The studies and literature mentioned above serves as the

foundation and basis of the present study.

On the study that was conducted by Taiwo, it states that

one of the causes of motorcycle accidents is because of human

error or lack of driving skills. The study by Taiwo has

similarities in the study by Bowdler that was conducted in

Australia. In the proposed study, lack of driving skills is

also being studied if it has significant effect in motorcycle

accidents in Santa Cruz. The proposed study also intends to

find out if the programs in prevention of motorcycle

accidents are highly efficient and implemented.

On Peden’s study, he pointed out that environmental

factor such as road condition and infrastructures, and

weather, are also the top reason for motorcycle accidents.

This study is comparable with Gabler’s “The Risk and Fatality

in Motorcycle Crashes with Roadside Barriers”. Where he

concluded that road traffic devices particularly guardrail,

causes motorcycle crashes. Meanwhile in the Philippines,

Flores also concluded the same thing. The proposed study has

similarity to the study conducted by Peden, Gabler, and

Flores, because the proposed study also aims to determine if

motorcycle accidents is affected by environmental factor.

In a study by Manan and Varhelyi, the concluded that

motorcycle crashes in rural area are more frequent because of

over speeding due to less traffic volume, and low compliance

for helmet because of lack of enforcement. The said study has

a resemblance in the study of Morris, Teoh, and Campbell.

Relative to the present study, it seeks to determine if the

programs in Santa Cruz regarding helmet policy, and speed

limit are highly observed.

According to the Study of Dr.Ruiz,“Alcohol and

Hospitalized Road Traffic Injuries in the Philippines”, he

noted drunk driving as one of the lead cause of motorcycle

fatalities. Similar to the current study, it also tries to

look for the level of impact of drunk driving to motorcycle

crashes.
 On Barde’s “Motorcycle Accident”, he stated that

driver’s lack of knowledge on road traffic devices

particularly road signs and markings, are important factors

in traffic accidents. In line with this, the present study

aims to determine the level of implementation of programs

made to educate drivers in the municipality of Santa Cruz.

In the study of Villoria and Diaz, “Road Accidents in the

Philippines”, they stated that the government should address

fundamental problems on traffic in preventing road accidents.

Relevant to the present study, it seeks to determine the

level of implementation of laws and programs in Santa Cruz in

preventing road accidents particularly motorcycle accidents.

 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the methods and statistical

techniques to be used in the research to address all the

questions. This includes the research design, careful

selection of subject, population and sampling technique,

research instrument, procedure, and statistical data

treatment.

This research is a qualitative study which will use

descriptive method to gather relevant data. Descriptive

method is a type of research method used to depict the

participants in an accurate way. More simply put, descriptive

research is all about describing people or the population who

take part in the study. This method will provide a systematic

and organized description of the status of motor cycle

accidents in the Municipal of Santa Cruz, Laguna.

This research planned to analyse the status of

motorcycle accidents in Santa Cruz, Laguna throughout the

First Semester, Academic Year 2018-2019.

 Selection of Research Subject

The subjects of the study will be selected from forty

five (45) respondents divided into 3 consist of fifteen (15)

Police Officers, fifteen (15) SCTMO traffic aides and fifteen

(15) Motorcycle Riders in selected barangays of Santa Cruz,

Laguna.Cluster sampling will be usedbecause various segments

of subject are treated as a cluster and members from each

group are selected randomly. The chosen respondents are

carefully selected to have accurate and better result in

analayzing the status of motorcycle accidents in Santa Cruz,

Laguna.

Instrument and Procedure

A questionnaire-checklist will be issued to the forty-

five (45) respondents of this study which are the following:

fifteen (15) Police Officers, fifteen (15) SCTMO traffic

aides and fifteen (15) Motorcycle Riders in selected

barangays of Santa Cruz, Laguna to acquire more accurate and

sufficient data and to have better analysis regarding the

status of motorcycle accidents in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

 In this study, Likert scale will be incorporated in the

questionnaire for conveniency and accurate data

interpretation.

The researcher first formulated a problem that was duly

approved during the oral defense proposal by the thesis

committee. For the problems of the study to be assessed, the

researcher will distribute the validated questionnaire-

checklist to the groups identified respondents. Answers from

the questionnaire-checklist will be tallied, collated,

tabulated, analyzed, and interpreted, accordingly to address

the specific problem of the study.

Results of findings, analysis, and interpretation of

this study will be presented in the succeeding chapter.

Data Treatment

The questionnaire will ask the respondents to choose

from the range of responses presented below:

Weight Scale Description

5 4.21-5.00 Much Implemented

4 3.41-4.2 Highly Implemented

3 2.61-3.4 Moderately Implemented

2 1.81-2.6 not implemented

1 1.00-1.8 Undecided

The questionnaire is the primary instrument in gathering

the data which will be use in this study. Mean and standard

deviation will be use to find the mean level of

implementation of programs in addressing accident as

perceived by fifteen (15) Motorcycle Riders, fifteen (15) PNP

personels adn fifteen (15) SCTMO traffic aides in selected

barangay of Santa. Cruz Laguna.

Mean Formula:

1
1
1

Where:

x̄1= Mean of sample 1

∑x̄1= sums of all data value in sample 1

N1 = number of respondents of sample 1

Mean Formula:
 2
2
2

Where:

x̄2 = Mean of sample 2

∑x̄2 = sums of all data value in sample 2

N2 = number of respondents of sample 2

Variance Formula:

Where:

𝑆12 = variance of sample 1

Variance Formula:

Where:

𝑆22 = variance of sample 2

T-Test Formula:

Degree of Freedom:

DF = (N1 – 1) + (N2 – 1)

Decision Rule:

To determine the level of significant effect through the

p-value of T-Test following scale are:

0.050 - below ` SIGNIFICANT

0.051 - above NOT SIGNIFICANT