Wearing a seatbelt is an important part of road safety; in fact, there’s a law requiring motorists and passengers to wear seatbelts. However, records show that this law has the most number of violators, prompting the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to embark on an aggressive campaign on seatbelt use at the start of the year.
As part of the campaign, the LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II has instructed all Regional Directors and District Office heads in the country to use social media and other communication platforms to promote the use of seatbelts among motorists and passengers and to follow the seatbelt law.
LTO Starts 2025 with Campaign on Seatbelt Use
“Our approach on this matter will be two-pronged: the first is on strict enforcement through the deployment of our enforcers and coordination with other law enforcement agencies,” Asst. Sec. Mendoza stated, as reported on the LTO’s official Facebook page.
“The second one is a massive information drive to make the motorists realize the importance of wearing a seatbelt,” he added. “This is also part of our ‘Stop Road Crash’ program which we will be aggressively pushing this year.”
Notably, the Stop Road Crash program is a road safety campaign that seeks to achieve the goal set by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., which is “to reduce road accidents in the country by at least 35% by 2028,” according to an LTO press release.
This campaign highlights the need to emphasize road safety, since the latest global and national statistics are alarming. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that around the world, 1.3 million people die in road accidents, while 20 to 50 million are injured, including injuries resulting in permanent disability.
Moreover, information from the United Nations (UN) reveals that around 58% of the 1.3 million fatalities globally occur in the Asia-Pacific region. The data also shows indicates that in the Philippines, an average of 32 people die everyday because of road accidents.
Campaign to Involve Citizen Groups, Organizations
As part of the campaign on the use of seatbelts, the LTO shall work hand-in-hand with Local Government Units (LGUs), citizen groups, and community organizations in promoting safety awareness. Likewise, transport groups, schools, and other stakeholders shall also be involved in spreading the word about the importance of seatbelt use by motorists and passengers.
Paving the Way for Research and Study
According to Asst. Sec. Mendoza, the campaign on seatbelt use shall also “pave the way” for conducting research and studies on road safety. Students and researchers would be encouraged to study various programs and projects on road safety, with motorists, passengers, and even traffic enforcers as their respondents.
“The campaign shall stress the safety and health value of seat belts to support the most effective enforcement,” the LTO Chief said. “Creating plans and programs on the nationwide information education communication campaign on the importance and use of seatbelts is crucial for increasing awareness and promoting road safety.”
Throughout the year, the LTO will also be conducting regular assessments on the effectivity and efficiency of the campaign.
More than 134K Motorists Apprehended for Seatbelt Law Violation
Indeed, the seatbelt use campaign is much needed, especially since last year, more than 134,000 were apprehended in the Philippines for violating Republic Act 8750 or the Seat Belts Use Act of 1999, according to a recent post by the LTO on its official Facebook page.
Most Number of Violators from CALABARZON
Among the 134,147 motorists apprehended for violating R.A. 8750 last year, the highest number was recorded by LTO-CALABARZON with 32,485 violators. This is followed by LTO-Region 3 and LTO-Region VI, with 10,774 and 10,270 violators, respectively.
Of the total number of motorists apprehended from January 1 to December 31, 2024 — majority or 124,712 have already settled their penalties. On the other hand, 53 are still contesting the violation, whereas the rest have yet to pay their fines.
Numbers Confirm Need for Aggressive Campaign
Asst. Sec. Mendoza commented that these numbers confirm the need for an aggressive campaign. “This is proof that we are serious in implementing this law,” he said. “Kung noon ay kaya pang lusutan, ngayon ay hindi na (People were able to break the law before, but not anymore), especially that we are embarking on an aggressive campaign for the use of seatbelt this year.”
“So we appeal to our motorists to strictly follow the law because as our DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista has been saying, this is for their safety and that this is part of the government’s efforts to ensure the safety of all road users,” the DSWD Chief stressed.
Seat Belts Use Act of 1999
Republic Act 8750 or the “Seat Belts Use Act of 1999” requires all drivers and front seat passengers of private as well as public motor vehicles to use their seat belt devices while inside a running vehicle.
Signed into law on August 5, 1999, the official or complete title of R.A. 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.”
The law stipulates the following rules for different types of vehicles:
- Private Vehicles. The driver, front passenger, and back seat passengers must wear seat belts.
- Public Motor Vehicles. The driver and front seat passenger/s must wear seat belts. Any passenger who refuses to wear a seat belt will not be allowed to continue his/her trip.
- Special Public Service Vehicles. The driver, front seat passengers, and first row passengers (behind the driver) must wear seat belts.
In addition, R.A. 8750 states that violators of the law shall face fines and penalties. For private vehicles, there is a fine of PHP 1,000 for the first offense; PHP 2,000 for the second offense; and PHP 5,000 plus one-week suspension of driver’s license for the third offense.
For public utility vehicles (PUVs), there is a fine of PHP 3,000 each for the driver and operator for every violation.
Final Thoughts
The rising number of fatalities and injuries caused by road accidents, along with the high number of motorists apprehended for violating the seatbelt law — indicate that an aggressive campaign on road safety, including the use of seatbelts, is necessary.
On our part as motorists and passengers, let us follow the law and keep in mind that these rules have been made for our own safety, as well as those of our families and loved ones. Check out this link for the full list of driving fines and violations enforced by the LTO.