Import stickers on motorcycle helmets a must beginning 2013

THE reprieve will soon be over.

Motorcycle riders need to secure their Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers before the year ends or get flagged down by authorities while celebrating the New Year.

Motorcyclists who fail to secure ICC stickers for their helmets, as required by the Department of Trade and Industry ( DTI), would be fined as soon as the New Year starts. Grace Lugto, a staff member of the LTO Traffic Safety Division, said that those who fail to have their ICC stickers on the agency- approved helmets would be penalized.

Based on Republic Act 10054 ( Motorcycle Helmet Act) violators are required to pay fines starting from P1,500 up to P10,000, and face confiscation of their driver’s license for the fourth and succeeding offenses.

“As of now, any helmet will do. By next year, motorcyclists should have the standard helmet with ICC stickers,” Lugto said.

Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya recently reminded riders that they need to secure the ICC stickers before December 31 as the agency will not extend the period for helmet inspection and ICC marking. Those who recently bought helmets, which already bear the necessary sticker, need not submit to DTI inspection.

Republic Act 10054 mandates all motorcycle riders (including passengers) to wear a helmet whenever they ride a motorcycle regardless of the duration of the trip and on which type of road or highway they do. The Act also specifies that helmets must bear the Philippine Standard or ICC mark, with the ICC stamp certifying that a helmet has satisfied the requirements set by the DTI’s Bureau of Product Standards.