BOKOD, Benguet — For residents and local officials of Barangay Ambuklao in Bokod, Benguet, the installation of a coffin along the Benguet–Nueva Vizcaya Road in Sitio Acnip is a necessary reminder to motorists—particularly reckless drivers—of the consequences of ignoring road safety.

The placement of the coffin reflects the community’s frustration over the number of lives lost in vehicular accidents while waiting for long-promised safety measures to be implemented. Faced with repeated road mishaps, residents of Barangay Ambuklao resorted to the grim display in an effort to keep drivers and travelers safe.

Recently, the Benguet 1st District Engineering Office (DEO) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) inspected the area and ordered the removal of the coffin, saying it is not an appropriate road sign.

However, Barangay Ambuklao Chairman Reynaldo Badibal Tello stood firm, saying the community would remove the coffin only after the DPWH installs the permanent safety signs it had previously promised.

According to Tello, the unusual warning was born out of necessity, intended to force motorists to slow down in an area where official warning signs have yet to be installed.

The stretch of road in Sitio Acnip forms part of a hazardous section of the highway that has seen a 170-percent increase in vehicular accidents during the first half of the year alone. The figure represents a sharp rise from the seven accidents recorded throughout 2025.

In response, residents attached a donated wooden coffin to an existing barangay warning sign, hoping the striking visual would compel reckless drivers to exercise greater caution. Bokod Mayor Erik Donn Ignacio, local police, and residents have expressed support for the initiative, favoring an unconventional deterrent over continued inaction.

The situation in Ambuklao reflects a broader road safety challenge in the country’s mountainous regions. In areas such as the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, and steep road corridors in Mindanao, vehicular accidents account for a significant portion of police-reported incidents. Nationwide, road crashes claim thousands of lives each year, with reckless driving remaining one of the leading causes.

For the residents of Barangay Ambuklao, the coffin serves as a stark reminder to both motorists and government agencies of what is at stake. Until permanent safety measures are put in place, the casket remains by the roadside—a silent warning against complacency on one of Benguet’s most dangerous stretches of road.