Awareness and Compliance of Site Engineers with Road Safety and Traffic Management: The Case of 2nd District, Negros Oriental

Lucelle  E. Saguban,; Ryan  I. Macayan,; Wilma  Macayan,

Awareness and Compliance of Site Engineers with Road Safety and Traffic Management: The Case of 2nd District, Negros Oriental

Ryan I. Macayan | Lucelle E. Saguban | Wilma Macayan

Abstract:

This descriptive-correlational study assessed the awareness of and compliance with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) road safety and traffic management protocols among field engineers on civil works projects in Negros Oriental’s 2nd District. Using a validated questionnaire, data were gathered from 100 engineers (60 from private contractors and 40 from the DPWH). Engineers reported very high awareness of road safety (mean = 4.50) and traffic management standards (mean = 4.41); however, their self-rated compliance, although still high, was lower (mean = 4.13). Spearman’s correlation confirmed that greater awareness predicted stronger compliance (ρ = .52, p < .001). Field implementation, however, was hindered by four key challenges: motorist non-compliance (89%), vandalism of signage (73%), constrained traffic flow management (62%), and insufficient hands-on training (60%). By quantifying the awareness–compliance gap and pinpointing context-specific barriers in a developingcountry setting, the study deepens understanding of why high protocol knowledge does not always translate into safe on-site practices. The findings urge the DPWH and contractors to (1) intensify on-site monitoring and enforcement partnerships, (2) allocate budgets for rapid signage replacement, (3) deliver scenario-based training to site personnel, and (4) launch community road safety campaigns. Implementing these measures can convert engineers’ strong knowledge base into consistently safe work zones, reducing accidents and project delays across Philippine infrastructure projects.

References:

Amoah, C., & Simpeh, F. (2020). Implementation challenges of COVID-19 safety measures at construction sites in South Africa. Journal of Facilities Management, 19(1), 111–128. https://doi.org/10.1108/jfm-08-2020-0061
Andoy, V. V. G. (2023). Traffic management systems problems and their solutions. The Seybold Report, 18(2), 756-763. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/4HXUA
Bullard, C., Adanu, E. K., Agyemang, W., & Jones, S. (2024). A comprehensive view of factors influencing child passenger safety in low- and middle-income countries. IATSS Research, 48(3), 440–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iatssr.2024.08.005
Chuenyindee, T., Ong, A. K. S., Ramos, J. P., Prasetyo, Y. T., Nadlifatin, R., Kurata, Y. B., & Sittiwatethanasiri, T. (2022). Public utility vehicle service quality and customer satisfaction in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilities Policy, 75, 101336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2022.101336
Cruz, O. G. D., Padilla, J. A., & Victoria, A. N. (2021, July). Managing road traffic accidents: a review on its contributing factors. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 822, No. 1, p. 012015). IOP Publishing.
Department of Health. (2023). DOH: 12,000 killed on roads each year. Inquirer News. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1941842/doh-12000-killed-on-roads-each-year
Department of Public Works and Highways (2022). Compulsory inclusion of road safety and traffic management plans in all detailed engineering design (DED) for road and bridge plans. https://tinyurl.com/5n8e8cxt
Dorado, D., & Aviles, J. (2024, July). Machine Learning Regression Model Development and Data Visualization of Road Accident in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, Philippines. In Proceedings of the 2024 6^th Asia Conference on Machine Learning and Computing (pp. 27-32).
Du, W., Dash, A., Li, J., Wei, H., & Wang, G. (2023). Safety in Traffic Management Systems: A Comprehensive Survey. https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.06204
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and research. https://tinyurl.com/yd9pbads
Girija, M., & Divya, V. (2024, April). Road Traffic Accident Prediction using Deep Learning. In 2024 International Conference on Cognitive Robotics and Intelligent Systems (ICC-ROBINS) (pp. 148-159). IEEE.
Mannering, F. L., & Washburn, S. S. (2020). Principles of highway engineering and traffic analysis. John Wiley & Sons.
Mokhtari, M., Hosseini, A., Habibi, A., Karshenas, A., & Amoomahdi, A. (2023). Intelligent Traffic Control with Smart Speed Bumps. https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.00433
Moreno, F. (2023). Road and bridge maintenance in Zamboanga Peninsula Region, Philippines: an engineering perspective. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4519268
Shen, Y., Hermans, E., Bao, Q., Brijs, T., & Wets, G. (2020). Towards better road safety management: Lessons learned from inter-national benchmarking. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 138, 105484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2020.105484
Sidel, J. T. (2020). Averting “Carmageddon” through reform? An eco-systemic analysis of traffic congestion and transportation policy gridlock in Metro Manila. Critical Asian Studies, 52(3), 378–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2020.1793681
Subramanya, K., Kermanshachi, S., & Patel, R. K. (2022). The future of highway and bridge construction: digital project delivery using integrated advanced technologies. International Conference on Transportation and Development 2022. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784484364.002
World Health Organization. (2023). Global status report on road safety 2023. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240086517
World Health Organization. (2023). Helmets: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/muf9pdt4
World Health Organization. (2023). Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/4fzzfr2u