House OKs speed limiters for PUVs

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a bill requiring the mandatory installation of speed limiter in public utility vehicles (PUVs).

Bill 5911, to be known as “Speed Limiters Act,” seeks to address the problem of speeding, which causes a significant number of traffic accidents.

“By installing a speed limiter in (PUVs) and multi-wheeler cargo trucks, every driver will be forced to drive under a calibrated and calculated speed,” the bill’s authors said.

They said they hope that with the device, speed-related accidents will decrease.

They said bus drivers in Metro Manila often race against each other in a competition for passengers and for faster turnaround, a practice that frequently results in fatal accidents.

With the speed limiter, they added that drivers could press the gas pedal all they want but the bus would not move faster than the set speed limit.

They conceded that there could still be accidents, but they hope that these would be fewer and less fatal than those that involved buses driven like racecars.

Under the bill, no PUVs; shuttle services; covered vehicles such as closed vans, haulers, cargo trailers, and tanker trucks can be registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) or be given a franchise by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) without the standard speed limiter installed and set in the vehicle.

The measure penalizes the driver, operator or owner of vehicles with non-functioning, tampered or without the speed limiter with a fine of P50,000.

In addition to the fine, a first time driver-offender would have his driver’s license suspended for one month and three months for a second offense. He would lose his license for subsequent offenses.

If the offender were an operator, his license would be suspended for three months for the first offense, six months for the second and suspension of operation for one year for any subsequent violation.

Any person found tampering with the speed limiter would face a prison term of not more than three years and a fine of P30,000.

The Department of Transportation and Communications, in coordination with the LTO, LTFRB, Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Science and Technology, and in consultation with private-stakeholders, would be mandated to issue the implementing rules and regulations.