Attributions of traffic accidents in Santa Cruz Marinduque: Basis for traffic management innovations

This mixed-method exploratory study investigated the attributions of traffic accidents in Santa Cruz, Marinduque, using a triangulation design that simultaneously collected and integrated quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative component involved structured survey questionnaires administered to 300 motorists and 30 traffic enforcers, while the qualitative component employed semi-structured interviews with 16 key informants—eight motorists and eight enforcers—selected through purposive sampling. Eight attribution domains were examined: cultural, geographical, contextual, social, economic, political, environmental, and behavioral. Results showed that behavioral factors received the highest weighted mean ratings from both motorists (WM=3.69, Very High) and enforcers (WM=3.74, Very High), underscoring that reckless driving, mobile phone use, impaired driving, and inattentiveness are the most critical and preventable causes of road accidents. Environmental factors ranked second (WM=3.51 and 3.50), driven by heavy rainfall, typhoons, poor road maintenance, and erosion. Contextual factors, particularly inadequate lighting and signage, also received very high agreement. The socio-demographic profile of accident-involved motorists was dominated by males aged 26–45 with non-professional licenses, and 9.3% were found to be driving without any license. Qualitative analysis yielded 24 themes distributed across eight domains, with behavioral themes—lack of discipline, impaired driving, and emotional instability—emerging most prominently. Based on integrated findings, seven evidence-based innovations are proposed: a Driver Values Formation Program, Community-Based Road Safety Watch, Digital Road Monitoring and E-Citation System, Real-Time Weather Alerts and Road Risk Mapping, Safety Subsidy Fund, Municipal Traffic Policy Review Task Force, and a Road Safety Education Integration Program. These multi-sectoral innovations are designed to reduce accidents through behavioral change, infrastructure improvement, governance reform, and community empowerment in Santa Cruz, Marinduque.