Child car seats to be required starting tomorrow

MANILA: Don't be caught without it. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will start the full implementation of Republic Act No. 11229 or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act tomorrow, February 2.

The law will require the use of child restraint system (CRS) to secure the children below 12 years old with a height of 4’11” and below inside the vehicle. The child car seat must be installed on the rear seat and it must be appropriate to the age, height, and weight of the child. This means that children will not be allowed to occupy the front seats of a moving vehicle.

However, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) stated that they will start the apprehension after three to six months. In a virtual press conference, LTO Deputy Director for Law Enforcement Roberto Valera said, “Enforcement is not only about apprehension — it also covers information dissemination as well as warnings. Instead of issuing a TOP (temporary operator’s permit) or a show cause order, we’ll be in warning mode as well as information dissemination.”

Added Valera, “We have to finalize the administrative order on the tint law. Some cars have dark tints so it will be harder for us. Enforcement of the law is visual; we have to see if the child is on the car seat."

Violators shall be fined P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 and one-year suspension of the driver’s license for third offense.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will be issuing the certification for CRS products. Manufacturers and sellers who will produce expired CRS and tamper certification stickers shall be charged with a fine of P50,000 to P100,000.

ImagineLaw Policy Associate for Road Safety Atty. Daphne Marcelo presented data from World Health Organization which stated that 12,487 road traffic deaths were recorded in the country in 2018, while there were 1,226 child road deaths in 2017. She said, “The use of child safety seats can reduce infant deaths by 70%, while deaths of small children are reduced by 54%.”

Also read: DOTr targets partial operation of Cebu BRT within year