Driver Faces Penalties After Child Seen Riding at Back of Pickup Truck
A driver is now facing sanctions after a child was seen riding at the back of a pickup truck while traveling along a public road.
Recently, the Facebook page ‘Land Transportation Office – Philippines’ announced that a driver with a child riding at back of an Isuzu D-Max will face sanctions. The post garnered various reactions from the online community.
LTO took action and issued a show cause order against both the registered owner and the driver of the vehicle because of the dangerous situation. The agency emphasized that allowing a child to ride in the open back portion of a moving vehicle puts the passenger at serious risk, especially on busy roads.
The registered owner has been asked to explain a possible violation related to exceeding the vehicle’s allowed passenger capacity under existing traffic laws.
Meanwhile, the driver is also being held accountable for separate offenses, including reckless driving and allowing an unfit or unsafe passenger arrangement. As part of the initial action, the driver’s license has been suspended for 90 days.
The vehicle involved has also been placed under alarm status while the investigation is ongoing. Authorities made it clear that both the owner and the driver are required to appear before the proper office to explain their side. Failure to do so may lead to a decision based only on the available evidence.
Authorities continue to urge motorists to act responsibly and ensure that everyone inside a vehicle is safe and properly seated.
Here is the full post:
“Nag-isyu ang Land Transportation Office (LTO) ng Show Cause Order laban sa rehistradong may-ari at driver ng Isuzu D-Max pick-up. Ito ay matapos kumalat sa social media ang larawan na nagpapakitang may sakay itong bata sa likurang bahagi ng sasakyan habang bumibiyahe sa pampublikong kalsada—isang gawaing mapanganib at labag sa batas.
Inaatasan silang humarap sa Intelligence and Investigation Division upang magpaliwanag. Ang may-ari ay kailangang sumagot sa paglabag sa Exceeding Registered Capacity ayon sa Section 32 ng RA 4136. Ang driver naman ay haharap sa mga paglabag sa Reckless Driving at Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle.
Bilang pagsunod sa tamang proseso, sinuspinde ang lisensya ng driver sa loob ng 90 araw at inilagay naman ang sasakyan sa ilalim ng alarm status. Ang hindi pagdalo o hindi pagsusumite ng paliwanag ay ituturing na pagtalikod sa kanilang karapatan, at ang desisyon ay ibabase sa mga ebidensyang hawak ng ahensya.
“Palaging sumunod sa mga batas trapiko upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng lahat sa kalsada,” paalala ni LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Markus V. Lacanilao.”
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:
