Transport group: Seat Belt Law flawed

An organization of jeepney drivers and operators expressed opposition yesterday to a newly implemented law requiring motorists and their passengers to wear seat belts.

Drivers, even if buckled up, would be fined if their passengers are not strapped in. The law also prohibits children six years old and below to sit in the front seat of a running motor vehicle.

The Seat Belt Law or Republic Act 8750 was signed into law last year in a bid to minimize injuries and deaths in road accidents. It was to be enforced beginning yesterday.

But the Philippine Confederation of Drivers Organizations-Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (PCDO-ACTO) said seat belts were impractical in Metro Manila.

"The average speed of vehicles in Metro Manila is only 20 kilometers per hour. It is very slow. Vehicles also tend to stop frequently due to traffic congestion," PCDO-ACTO head Efren de Luna said.

De Luna said the law was better implemented in the provinces where, according to him, fatal road accidents usually occur. "I think what should be monitored are the vehicles heading to the provinces. Traffic enforcers might as well be stationed at the North and South Expressways," De Luna said.

De Luna said the law is unfair because it penalizes drivers or vehicle owners when their passengers are not buckled up.

"This will likely cause a fight between public utility drivers and hard headed passengers. Merely posting signs instructing passengers to buckle up is already an indication of their support to the law. Whether the passengers want to comply or not is another question," he said.

Further, the type of seat belts required by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to be installed in jeepneys, De Luna complained, was too expensive for public transport operators.

Under the law, vehicles without seat belts cannot be registered with the LTO. Vehicle owners have until Nov. 1 to install seat belts.

Manufacturers, importers and dealers of vehicles lacking seat belts also face a fine.

"Some P2,000 is needed to install seat belts in a public utility jeepney. This is too much for us who are living a hand-to-mouth existence," De Luna said.

De Luna asked the government to allow them to select belts they want to use. For one, he said, bag straps could be used in lieu of seat belts.

Commenting on that complaint, LTO Law Enforcement Service chief Rolando Lansang said seat belt specifications for each type of vehicle were meant to make sure that the seat belts work the way they should.