The Philippines will implement on February 2 a law that requires motorists to install car seats for children, in an effort to make roads safer for minors, officials and safety advocates said. The law mandates that passengers 12 years old and below, 4'11" in height and below should be secured in a CRS or Child Restraint System. Mandatory compliance, or enforcement for motorists, will begin on Tuesday.
In the "initial phase" of enforcement—lasting the first three to six months—motorists will be given printed materials on the law, said Roberto Valera, Deputy Director for Law Enforcement of the Land Transportation Office. "The enforcement is not just about apprehension; it involves information dissemination and warnings," he said. "We will be on warning mode as well as information dissemination."
This means that you will have a few months to get a car seat if you don't have one on hand. Before you buy though, there are requirements to check out.
How To Check If Your Car Seat Fits the Requirements
Look for these stickers on the car seat to check if it complies with the new law, said Louise Palmes, who represented the Department of Trade and Industry's Bureau of Public Standards during a Zoom press call.
Palmes said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has an Android app called the ICC Verification System that can be used to check the QR codes on the ICC marks.
First, make sure that the car seat has an ICC sticker. You can use the app to verify its authenticity by first inputting some data on the product's make and then scanning the QR code on the sticker.
Why Do We Have a Car Seat Law in the PH?
The Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act (Republic Act 11229) was signed in 2019 and before the mandatory enforcement on Tuesday, government agencies worked to ensure that standards for child car seats are set.
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In 2018, 12,487 people died on the road: that's 34 per day or one per hour, according to lawyer Daphne Marcelo of advocacy group ImagineLaw. Among children, 1,226 died on the road in 2017 or around 14 per day, she said.
"Your embrace is not enough," Marcelo said, likening the CRS to a cushion that can protect an egg from breaking.
Regular seatbelts are not enough to secure children who are in danger from being ejected from the vehicle in case of a crash, she said.
What Are the Penalties?
Drivers who are caught without a child car seat or who don't use such seats properly will be fined P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense and P5,000 and one-year driver's license suspension for the third and succeeding offenses, Valera said.
Those who are caught using expired or substandard child car seats will be fined P1,000 for the first offense, P3,000 for the second offense and P5,000 and one-year driver's license suspension for the third and succeeding offenses, he said. The seats must have a PS Mark or ICC sticker, he said.
Those who are caught engaging in the manufacture, distribute, import, retail and sale or substandard or expired car seats will be fined between P50,000 to P100,000.
The ICC Verification App is available on Android.
Source: Spot PH
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