Top 5 life-changing motorists rules of the past 30 years

TO COMMEMORATE The Philippine Star’s 30th Anniversary, let’s take a sentimental and reflective journey through the changing landscape of the motoring scene.

In the past three decades, significant changes in technologies, environmental conditions, and consumer patterns have affected the way people drive and ride their vehicles. In turn, laws and regulations have also been created to address such changes.

Here are my top five picks of laws and regulations of the past 30 years which have changed the lives of motorists:

1. Color or Number Coding Scheme

The increasing volume of vehicles accumulating over the last 30 years, combined with the lack of infrastructure development have resulted in crippling traffic congestion particularly in Metro Manila.

One of the measures adopted to reduce vehicles on the road is the “Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program” ( more popularly known as the “Number Coding” or “Color Coding” Scheme). “Color Coding” is a widely used term, even if the scheme has nothing to do with the color of cars.

First introduced by the Metro Manila Development Authority ( MMDA) in 1995, the Number Coding Scheme prohibits the use of vehicles around Metro Manila from 7AM to 7PM on a specific day depending on the last digit of a vehicle’s plate number. Thus, vehicles with plates ending in 1 or 2 may not be used on Mondays; 3 or 4 on Tuesdays, and so on. Failure to observe this scheme is considered a traffic violation which would subject the driver to fines.

There is a permissible window to use number-coded cars in some areas, while there is no window in busier cities like Makati. There are other areas which do not impose the Number-Coding Scheme.

This rule has changed the behavior of motorists. Some people drive to work early (before 7AM) and stay later than usual in the office (past 7PM) to avoid the Number Coding Scheme. Others take a cab or other forms of mass transportation on days their cars are restricted. Wealthier motorists buy additional cars to ensure that they have a car to use for each day.

2. Seatbelt Law

Historically, Filipinos were not conscious about using seatbelts. Growing up, I rarely wore a seatbelt in the passenger’s seat and adults around me did not insist that I use one.

In 1999, the “Seatbelts Use Act” mandated drivers and passengers to wear a seat belt. Generally, front and backseat passengers are required to wear seatbelts at all times, except for for jeepneys, vans, and buses where drivers and only front- seat passengers are required to wear seatbelts.

Infants and/or children aged six years and below are prohibited from sitting in the front-seat of a moving vehicle. Violations of this law can subject the driver to a fine of P100 to P5,000 and possible suspension of driver’s license for one week.

While the awareness of wearing seatbelts is still not as high among drivers and/ or passengers in the Philippines compared to other countries, there has been a marked improvement since the Seatbelts Use Act took effect.

3. Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Law

Drinking and driving is something that most Filipinos take lightly. People would go to parties, have a few drinks, and still get behind the wheel as long as they feel that they are not too drunk to drive. For several years, this practice was legal. A driver would only get penalized if such driver damages property or injures another person as a consequence of driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances.

This changed with the passage of Republic Act No. 10586 or the “Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013.” The Anti- Drunk and Drugged Driving Act makes it illegal for any person to drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs and/or other similar substances.

A person who drives while under the influence of drugs immediately violates the Anti-Drugged Driving Act, even if such driver does not harm any person or damage any property while driving.

Stiff penalties for violations of this law are expected to deter drivers from driving while drunk or drugged. Penalties include fines of up to P500,000 and imprisonment of up to 20 years. A person’s driver’s license may also be perpetually revoked as part of the penalties. In addition, penalties under other laws (for homicide, possession of illegal drugs, etc.) may also be imposed on the offender.

4. Transportation Network Regulations

In the past five years, we’ve seen the rise in popularity of web-based ride-sharing services (like Uber and Grab). Taxi operators complained that Uber and similar ride-sharing services were operating illegally. Doubts on legality were laid to rest when the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board ( LTFRB) issued regulations in 2015 which allowed app- based ride- sharing services to operate legally by complying with registration and other regulatory requirements.

Web- based apps ( like Uber, Grab) that provide ridesharing services are classified as “Transportation Network Companies” (TNCs). Those who provide the actual cars and drivers through Uber or TNCs are classified as operators of a Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS).

The proliferation of TNCs and TNVS operators have given people an alternative way to travel by car, or an alternative way to earn income. Some vehicle owners with full-time jobs are registered as Uber or Grab drivers to earn additional income on the side. Others have purchased vehicles specifically for the purpose of being TNVS operators.

5. No Contact Apprehension Policy

Advancements in technologies have also changed the way traffic enforcers track and catch violators.

In 2016, the MMDA issued the No Contact Traffic Apprehension Policy which allows motorists to be apprehended for violations of traffic laws and regulations without any physical contact from MMDA Traffic Enforcers. CCTV, digital cameras and other types of technologies that capture videos or images are used to identify traffic violations.

This new policy can potentially reduce the incidence of traffic violators bribing enforcers, or traffic enforcers illegally soliciting fees or “kotong” from hapless drivers. An MMDA officer also said that the “No Contact Apprehension” may also reduce traffic congestion in Metro Manila since it will lessen vehicles being pulled to the side of the roads for violations. Vehicle owners may go online at www. mayhuliba. com to check if they have been tagged for any violation.

As conditions and behaviors change, we can expect more life- changing rules to enter the motoring scene. Just recently, a bill which would prohibit “distracted driving” or the use of mobile phones while driving passed its final reading in Senate.

We now live in an era where innovative technologies such as altered reality games like Pokemon Go and self-driving cars are part of life. Will motoring rules be just as innovative?

As Thomas Jefferson said, “laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind… institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times.”