The Philippines Land Transportation Office (LTO) gives the motorist a driver’s license as soon as he complies with all the requirements and passed the driving exam for him/her to be recognized as a certified driver. This driver’s license is issued and recognized anywhere in the country.
As part of the Philippines Land Transportation Office’s efforts to make the Philippines safer for drivers, laws are established, rightfully enforced, and consistently updated to adapt their laws to the needs of the changing times.
As responsible drivers that we all aim to be, it is necessary to know about traffic violations and their corresponding monetary fines.
These are some reminders with regard to the identified rules and regulations with corresponding fines imposed by LTO as of 2022.
1. Driver’s license
Get one, and bring it with you anytime and anywhere you drive.
Driving without a license or with an expired, suspended, or revoked license in the Philippines has a violation fee of PHP 3000. In addition to that, you will not be allowed to receive a driver’s license and drive any motor vehicle for a year.
2. Put your seat belts on
Republic Act No. 8750 is “An Act Requiring the Mandatory Compliance by Motorists of Private and Public Vehicles to Use Seat Belt Devices, and Requiring Vehicle Manufacturers to Install Seat Belt Devices in all Their Manufactured Vehicles.”
This act includes drivers and front-seat passengers of both private and public vehicles. These people are required to use and wear seatbelts at all times when inside a car.
The driver, and all car passengers, front and rear, are required to wear seat belts at all times when inside a private vehicle.
If going onboard a public vehicle, it is the driver’s responsibility to inform passengers seated in the front to wear a seat belt. Refusal to abide will then be a reason not to allow the passenger to ride the public vehicle.
For drivers who are caught not wearing or who fail to require passengers to put on seat belts, the penalty for the first offense is PHP 1,000; second-time offenders will pay a fine of PHP 2,000, while third-time offenders will be fined PHP 5,000.
3. Do not allow kids aged six years old and below to sit in the front seat.
You will pay the same fines as above (Seat Belt Act Violation), and your driver’s license will also be suspended for one week.
4. Put your face masks on.
Wearing of masks is added in 2021 to ensure the safety of each and every one riding a vehicle.
LTO director Clarence Guinto announced that drivers and riders who will be caught not wearing face masks would be fined due to reckless driving. This includes passengers who failed to wear face masks while riding in public or private vehicles. Regardless if you come from the same household, you are required by law to wear your mask. A driver is only allowed to take off his/her mask if and when driving alone.
For those driving private vehicles, a fine of Php 2000 is due on the first offense, PhP 3000 for the second time, and Php 5000 for the third offense, plus a driver’s license suspension for a year.
For Public Utility Vehicles, first-time offenders will have to pay a fine of PhP 5000, 2nd-time offenders will pay 10000, and third-time offenders will be charged 15000 plus driver’s license suspension for a year.
Citations are welcome in any LTO office within five days if violators feel aggrieved or feel that the law is wrongly implemented.
5. Never Drink and Drive
The danger of drinking alcohol and driving can never be stressed enough; it is a serious threat to the safety of the driver and everyone sharing the road and a serious violation of the law as well.
Driving under the influence of alcohol will be penalized with three months imprisonment and a fine of PHP 20,000 to PHP 80,000.
If the violation caused physical injuries, there would be a fine of PHP 100,000 to PHP 200,000. This is in accordance with Article 263 of the Revised Penal Code.
If the violation resulted in homicide, a fine of PHP 300,000 to PHP 500,000 must be settled, as stated in Article 249 of the Revised Penal Code.
These fines are implemented, and licenses will be confiscated and suspended as well. A Non-professional driver’s license will be confiscated for 12 months on the first offense and will be revoked perpetually should the violation happen again. A Professional driver’s license is confiscated and revoked permanently on the first offense, disqualifying the driver from being given any kind of driver’s license after that.
6. Wear your Helmet
No matter how short or how far the distance is, a driver and their back rider must always wear helmets of standard quality (with ICC stickers).
Failure to wear helmets will be fined Php 1500 on the first offense, Php 3000 on the 2nd, Php 5000 on the third, and Php 10000 for the fourth and succeeding offenses.
Make sure that you are using helmets that are of good quality. Wearing substandard helmets is a risk to your safety, and you will be fine Php 3000 for the first time and Php 5000 on the second offense.
The road is utilized not by drivers alone but is shared by everyone who needs to go by their daily living. These laws are created with the safety of everyone in mind. Failure to abide has respective violations, which are avoidable just by knowing and following.
Before you ride and drive and vehicle, make sure that you are fully aware of the rules and regulations of the road. These are discussed in detail in the theoretical driving courses provided by Drivesafe PH, the 1st LTO Accredited Online Theoretical Driving Course Provider. DriveSafe.PH is a social learning platform that provides accessibility to Defensive Driving Education to future Filipino drivers who would like to take the first step in Road Safety.