Child Car Seat Law

I’ve never been bothered about the fact that our family doesn’t own a car and never once owned one. Apart from the reason that none of us knew how to drive, there are just a lot of other reasons as to why is that — as I’ve said in this blog post. 

It was fine since we knew how to commute. When TNVS or ride-sharing services like Uber (which has since ended its service in the Philippines) and Grab were introduced, it was great. At least if we want to travel comfortably, we can simply book one. 

Just a few days ago, they passed the controversial child car seat law and it sent my head to a tailspin. As per Republic Act No. 11229 or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, it covers children 12 years old and below aboard private vehicles. Children below 4 feet and 11 inches are not allowed to sit in the front seat and a restraint system appropriate for a child's height, weight, and age must be installed in private vehicles. 

Image from TopGear Philippines

We don’t have any problems not letting a child sit in the front seat because we are well-aware of the dangers of that. But the requirement for a restraint system for the child is the problematic part of this law. Almost immediately, the very first question of everyone (especially by yours truly) was: What about in PUVs? 

Details are still a bit sketchy as I’ve read one article that DOTr is still evaluating the feasibility but there were also some that say that the implementation is pushing through even if they will not begin apprehending violators as of yet. 

For a third-world country, the law has received mixed reactions and I myself do have some misgivings because it simply means that once the pandemic’s over and my nephews can go out again, we would need to have two (2) car seats for them since Gavin will only be turning 9 this March and Liam, 6, by July. 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against car seats and I know the importance. I’m not even going to argue about the fact that it does SAVE LIVES. You have no idea how stressful it is for us to keep telling the kids to sit properly (just look at the picture above on our very short commute to the mall) because whether I admit it or not, having them strapped to a car seat would avoid me the unnecessary anxiety. In fact, a car seat is something we would have long invested in if we own a car. 

But when a former senator (who also authored the law) said that parents bring their own child car seats when riding taxis and TNVS—it just made my jaw drop. 

First, I already fear that my nephews won’t be going anywhere (even after the pandemic) unless we have car seats for both of them. I mean, can we expect a taxi or even Grab to comply? No. How would this be a problem if ever? Taxis and TNVS will simply refuse us if we have kids on tow. 

Second, how much does a car seat cost? A quick check online shows it’s between PhP 2,000-25,000, multiply that by two. It’s not us scrimping over safety, it’s just that we don’t own a car! Why would we need to buy and bring our own car seats? It would be like buying an exclusive charger for a cellphone you don’t own. 

And what ticks me the most is when the same senator said to bring car seats even if we will be taking PUVs. Shouldn’t that requirement be passed on to the taxis and ride-hailing apps instead and not to the passengers? If we bring our own car seats, which in our case would be two car seats, can you imagine the inconvenience of carrying that around while watching the kids? I mean, he must be so out-of-touch with reality if he never thought of that. 

Again, I’m not arguing the importance of child car seats so if you are a road safety advocate, please know that. I am also not going to reply to sarcastic comments such as “Buy a car!” or, “Don’t let the kids go out and wait till they’re taller!” — because, really? That’s your best counter? 

All I’m saying is that the riding public should be exempted for the time being because the guidelines are not very clear. I fear that PUVs would simply decline if we have kids with us. Besides, implementation is always our problem.

And if they will strictly implement it though, I think it’s only fair that the taxis and the TNVS are the ones to provide it, not the riding public. After all, it's them who will be using it more than we do.