Bohol Third District Rep. Alexie Tutor has called on the Department of Transportation to suspend the full implementation of the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act whose IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations) were approved and published last month.

Tutor filed on Tuesday Resolution No. 1533 at the House of Representatives urging the DOTr and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the lead implementing agencies of the new law, to defer the enforcement of the mandatory use of car seats for children below 12 years old.

The neophyte congresswoman pushed for the law to be implemented six months after the lifting of the national state of emergency which was raised due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Tutor, families have other priorities and more pressing expenditures amid the persisting health crisis.

“Naa pa ta sa pandemya. Daghan ang nag lisod. Dli kini priority sa mga katawhan karong panahona. Nag dugang lang kini sa gastos,” she said.

The congresswoman also noted that children are mostly staying indoors due to movement restrictions.

“Ang atong mga bata ug mga anak, dli paman pod maka gawas. Ato sang unahon nga maka lingkawas ta sa kalisod tungod niining pandemya,” she added.  

As stipulated in the law’s implementing rules, children aged 12 or younger and are shorter than 4’11 are prohibited from sitting in the front seat or to be left unattended inside a private vehicle.

The law also mandates that children need to use child restraint systems (CRS) or car seats that are appropriate for their age, height, and weight.

First time and second time offenders will be fined P1,000 and P2,000, respectively.

Those breaking the law for the third time will be slapped with a P-5,000 fine while their licenses will be suspended for a year.

Republic Act No. 11229 or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in February, 2019.

The law is supposed to be fully enforced this month after its IRR were approved and published last month. (RT)