LTO to strictly enforce motorcycle helmet act

ROXAS CITY, Capiz, Jan. 3 (PIA6) – The Land Transportation Office is all set to enforce Republic Act 10054 otherwise known as the Motorcycle Helmet Act of 2009, Roxas City LTO Information Officer Isidro Alex de Vicente said.

He disclosed that they will conduct a full-blast operation anytime in the different towns in Capiz including here in Roxas City.

De Vicente added that they will also closely coordinate with the Philippine National Police in the different police stations in the entire province for the enforcement of said law.

Under the law, a penalty of P1,500 for the first offense, P3,000 for the second offense, P5,000 for the third offense, P10,000 plus confiscation of driver’s license for the fourth and succeeding offenses will be meted for driving without wearing any helmet or without the standard protective motorcycle helmet and/or failing to require backrider/s to wear the standard protective motorcycle helmet, he stressed.

On the other hand, almost 95 percent of helmets of registered motorcycles in Capiz had been verified and issued with stickers.

Capiz Trade and Industry Provincial Director Ermelinda Pollentes said a total of 8,233 helmets of registered motorcycles in Capiz were verified and issued with stickers as of December 28,2012 which was the deadline for said verification.

She added that based on the 2011 record from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) here, there are about 14,000 registered motorcycles in the province, to include those being used for tricycle operation in Roxas City and some towns here.

Pollentes said that at present they are focusing their inspection activities in the retailers and dealers of motorcycles and helmets and ensure that protective helmets that are being sold to the public are bearing Philippine Standard (PS) or Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker.

She pointed out that business establishments may be fined P10,000 for the first offense or P20,000 for the second offense if the same sell or deal a new motorcycle unit without making available a new standard protective motorcycle helmet to the purchaser, or sell, deal, distribute substandard motorcycle helmets or those which do not bear the PS mark or the ICC mark, or for tampering, altering, forging and imitating by a seller/dealer of the PS mark and the ICC mark in the helmets.

Protective helmet is intended to primarily protect the wearer’s head against impact and is designed to reduce the chances of serious head, brain, and facial injuries and death from motorcycle crashes but are not designed to prevent injuries to other parts of the body. (PIA/Jemin B. Guillermo)