Speed limiters on vehicles soon to be mandatory

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill making mandatory the installation of speed limiters on various types of land transportation.

Unanimously passed last week was House Bill (HB) 5911, which consolidated at least five measures requiring the mandatory installation of speed limiters in public utility and certain types of vehicles.

To be known as “Speed Limiters Act”, HB 5911 was filed by Reps. Eric Olivarez (NP, Parañaque City); Romeo Acop (LP, Antipolo City); Car- los Padilla (NP, Nueva Vizcaya); Alfred Vargas (LP, Quezon City); Terry Ridon (Kabataan Partylist); Amado Bagatsing (LP, Manila) and Winston Castelo (LP, Quezon City).

Under the bill, speed limiter refers to a device used to limit the top speed of a vehicle through the employment of mechanical, electronic or communications systems.

The bill makes it mandatory installation of speed limiters in closed vans, hauler and cargo trailer, public utility vehicles, shuttle service or tanker truck.

Olivarez said the measure provides that no covered vehicle will be registered with the Land Transportation Office unless a speed limiter has been installed.

He proposed a maximum speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour for all covered vehicles.

The driver and owner or operator of a vehicle found to be operated without speed limiter will be penalized with a 50,000 fine. The same penalty will be imposed on drivers found to have tampered with speed limiting gadgets.

Persons found guilty of tampering gadgets face a prison term of not less than six months and a fine of 30,000.

Olivarez said traffic accidents that result in multiple deaths were usually caused by over speeding vehicles.

He noted that a significant portion of traffic accidents recorded this year was caused by violations of the speed limit.