Rep. Manuel Mamba of the fourth district of Cagayan told contractors and engineers here that many people have died in his province, in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Quezon, Bicol and even in Samar, Leyte and Negros islands simply because there were no guard rails along the roads that could prevent buses, trucks, vans and cars from plunging into deep ravines.

"The lack of guard rails kill people," he explained, "and with more guard rails in place, the lesser number of people will be killed or injured."

Mamba said the old W Beam guard rail design used more than 50 years ago in highways in the United Statesmay need improvement as vehicles now run faster and slam at high speeds against the rails.

Moreover, he said, these rails are attached to light posts and can be easily destroyed when vehicles ram them.

Mamba said that he has made representations with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to consider a complete overhaul of the system of guard rails all over the country. He aded that road safety improvement is also a responsibility of the DPWH and local government units (LGUs.)

The solon suggested that the small round or square posts holding these guard rails may be replaced with larger, heavier posts, particularly the kind that would stop vehicles from falling into cliffs but would not cause dangerous or fatal injuries to passengers or drivers of small or medium vehicles.

Mamba said the solution is to buttress the guard rails to mitigate impact and prevent vehicles from crashing into roadside houses as well.