THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Wednesday reported its apprehension of over 134,000 motorists for violation of the Seatbelt Law or Republic Act. 8750 in 2024.
LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II attributed the aggressive enforcement of the law on the use of seatbelt to the collection of P179.9 million in fines from the violators.
“This is proof that we are serious in implementing this law. If before motorists could get away with it, now they can’t, especially that we are embarking on an aggressive campaign for the use of seatbelt this year,” Mendoza said.
“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,” he added.
The LTO data showed that CALABARZON has the most number of apprehended Seatbelt Law violators with 32,485, followed by Region 3 with 10,774, and Region VI with 10,270.
Out of the 134,147 apprehensions from Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024, a total of 124,712 already settled the penalties.
At least 53 are still contesting their violations, while the rest have yet to settle the fines.
The LTO chief promised to sustain the aggressive operations against Seatbelt Law violators as part of the LTO’s Stop Road Crash campaign.
However, he gave assurance that the campaign will be complemented by an equally aggressive information drive to encourage more motorists to use seatbelts.
“Our approach on this matter will be two-pronged, the first being is on strict enforcement through the deployment of our enforcers and coordination with other law enforcement agencies. The second is a massive information drive to make motorists realize the importance of wearing a seatbelt,” Mendoza said.
The LTO will coordinate with local government units and tap the services of citizen groups and community organizations for the promotion of public safety awareness.
On the other hand, transport groups, schools and other stakeholders would be tapped to maximize the information and communication drive to increase awareness about the importance of seat belt use among drivers and passengers.
