Villar asks authorities for strict enforcement of Seat Belt Law

Senate President Manny Villar has urged the Land Transportation Office and local governments to enforce strictly the Seat Belt Law for the sake of road safety.

Villar, one of the principal authors of this measure enacted when he was still the House Speaker, also called on the public to follow the law by buckling up in a moving vehicle for their safety.

Villar’s call, in a press statement, came in the wake of an LTO report stating that cases involving violations of the Seat Belt Law “far outnumber any other traffic transgressions.”

The LTO reported recently that 340 out of 1,070 motorists were apprehended last month for not wearing their seat belts.

Republic Act 8750 (Seat Belts Use Act of 1999) imposes fines against violating drivers, operators, vehicle owners, manufacturers, assemblers, importers, and distributors.

Section 4 of the law mandates, “The driver and front seat passengers of a public or private motor vehicle are required to wear or use their seat belt devices while inside a vehicle of running engine on any road or thoroughfare.”

It further states that, in the case of public motor vehicles, the driver shall immediately inform and require front seat passengers to wear the prescribed seat belts, otherwise “any passenger who refuses to wear seat belts shall not be allowed to continue his trip.”

Fines for not wearing seat belts are, for the driver/conductor/owner/operator) (1) first offense, P250; (2) second offense, P500; (3) third offense, P1,000 and one-week suspension of license. The fine for not informing passengers to wear seat belts is P300 for every offense.

The law also prohibits children, aged six and below, from sitting in the front seat of any running motor vehicle.

“We must not compromise public safety by failing to adhere strictly to the Seat Belt Law. Every motorist must learn to wear seat belts while on the road for his own protection,” Villar reminded. — Gregg M. Rubio/RAE