Iloilo City bans toddlers from riding motorcycles

MANILA, Philippines — + Citing the risk to their safety, the Iloilo City council has banned children below four years old from riding motorcycles, motorized scooters and bicycles.

A report on online news site The News Today (www.thenewstoday.info) said the city council passed Ordinance 2008-394, which also requires drivers and passengers to wear standard helmets.

"Minors are much exposed to risk of injuries and death while riding motorcycles due to their tender age," said Councilor Nielex Tupas, author of the ordinance.

The ordinance penalizes drivers for driving without a helmet, driving with unstrapped helmet, allowing a passenger to ride without helmet and allowing a minor below five years old to ride even if the child is wearing a helmet.

For practical reasons, the ordinance will allow minors five years old and above to ride the vehicles provided that they will use standard helmets, he said.

Violators will be fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense and P2,000 for the third offense.

Traffic Management and Engineering Unit (TMEU) data showed some 15,336 registered motorcycles are operating in the city but only 10,726 are for personal use. The rest are tricycles.

In 2007, some 628 motorcycles were recorded to be involved in accidents. "This means that an average of 40 to 50 accidents occur monthly," Tupas said.

Only last month, a city hall employee, together with his wife and daughter, were killed when they met an accident while riding a motorcycle.

They were not wearing helmets when the accident occurred.

by: jil0504 at 21:03 | link | comments

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