HELMET LAW REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10054
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10054
Approved: MAR 23 2010
(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines
AN ACT MANDATING ALL MOTORCYCLE RIDERS TO WEAR
STANDARD PROTECTIVE MOTORCYCLE HELMETS WHILE DRIVING AND PROVIDING
PENALTIES THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Motorcycle Helmet Act of 2009".
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - It
is hereby declared the policy of the State to secure and safeguard its
citizenry, particularly the operators or drivers of motorcycles and
their passengers, from the ruinous and extremely injurious effects of
fatal or life threatening accidents and crashes. Towards this end, it
shall pursue a more proactive and preventive approach to secure the
safety of motorists, their passengers and pedestrians at all times
through the mandatory enforcement of the use of standard protective
motorcycle helmet.
Section 3. Mandatory Use of Motorcycle Helmets.
- All motorcycle riders, including drivers and back riders, shall at
all times wear standard protective motorcycle helmets while driving,
whether long or short drives, in any type of road and highway.
Standard protective motorcycle helmets are
appropriate types of helmets for motorcycle riders that comply with the
specifications issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI shall issue guidelines, which should include the specifications regarding standard protective motorcycle helmets.
Section 4. Exemption. - Drivers of
tricycles shall be exempted from complying with the mandatory wearing of
motorcycle helmets as provided in this Act.
Section 5. Provision of Motorcycle Helmets.
- A new motorcycle helmet which bears the Philippine Standard (PS) mark
or Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) of the Bureau of Product Standards
(BPS) and complies with the standards set by the BPS shall be made
available by every seller and/or dealer every time a new motorcycle unit
is purchased and which the purchaser may buy at bis option. Failure to
comply with the requirements provided under this section shall
constitute a violation of this Act.
Section 6. Implementation. - The
Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), with its
attached agency, the Land Transportation Office (LTO), is mandated by
this Act to issue guidelines necessary to implement the provisions of
this Act.
The DTI, through the BPS, is mandated to utilize the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Protocols with
regard to the standards that will be applicable to the approval or
disapproval of motorcycle helmets that will be sold in the Philippines.
The DTI, through the BPS, shall conduct a mandatory
testing of all manufactured and imported motorcycle helmets in the
Philippines. All manufacturers and importers of standard protective
motorcycle helmets are required to secure a PS license or ICC prior to
the sale and distribution of their products. The BPS shall issue
periodically a list of motorcycle helmet manufacturers and importers and
the brands which pass the standards of the BPS to be published in a
newspaper of general circulation or in its website.
Upon the effectivity of this Act, only those standard
protective motorcycle helmets bearing the PS or ICC mark shall be sold
in the market.
Section 7. Penalties. - (a) Any person
caught not wearing the standard protective motorcycle helmet in
violation of this Act shall be punished with a fine of One thousand five
hundred pesos (Php1,500.00) for the first offense; Three thousand pesos
(Php3,000.00) for the second offense; Five thousand pesos (Php5,000.00)
for the third offense; and Ten thousand pesos (Php10,000.00) plus
confiscation of the driver's license for the fourth and succeeding
offenses.
(b) Any seller and/or dealer who violates Section 5
of this Act shall be punished with a fine of not lees than Ten thousand
pesos (Php10,000.00) but not more than Twenty thousand pesos
(Php20,000.00).
(c) Any person who uses, sells and distributes
substandard motorcycle helmets or those which do not bear the PS mark or
the ICC certificate shall be punished with a fine of not less than
Three thousand pesos (Php3,000.00) for the first offense; and Five
thousand pesos (Php5,000.00) for the second offense, without prejudice
to other penalties imposed in Republic Act No. 7394 or the "Consumer Act
of the Philippines".
(d) Tampering, alteration, forgery and imitation of
the PS mark and the ICC certificates in the helmets shall be punished
with a fine of not less than Ten thousand pesos (Php10,000.00) but not
more than Twenty thousand pesos (Php20,000.00), without prejudice to
other penalties imposed in Republic Act No. 7394 or the "Consumer Act of
the Philippines".
Section 8. Nationwide Public Information Campaign.
- The LTO, in coordination with the Philippine Information Agency
(PIA), the Department of Education (DepED) and private agencies and
organizations, shall undertake a nationwide information, education and
communication (IEC) campaign for a period of six (6) months for the
attainment of the objective s of this Act.
Section 9. Separability Clause. - If
any provision or part hereof is held invalid or unconstitutional, the
remainder of this Act or the provisions not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting.
Section 10. Repealing Clause. - All
laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
Section 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,
| (Sgd.) PROSPERO C. NOGRALES Speaker of the House of Representatives |
(Sgd.) JUAN PONCE ENRILE President of the Senate |
This Act which is a consolidation of House Bill No.
6924 and Senate Bill No. 1863 was finally passed by the House of
Representatives and the Senate on November 16, 2009 and December 16,
2009, respectively.
(Sgd.) EMMA LIRIO-REYES
Secretary of Senate |
(Sgd.) MARILYN B. BARUA-YAP
Secretary General House of Representatives |
Approved: MAR 23 2010
(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines
Mga Komento
Mag-post ng isang Komento