DOTr to require road safety certificates for modified vehicles

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) recommended on Thursday the establishment of an accreditation process for vehicle modification service centers and providers, which would issue road safety certificates to their clients.

"Our goal is to ensure the safety of the motoring public, and not to restrict the use of modified vehicles,” Land Transportation Office Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said in a statement.

DOTr said that the government and private sector representatives agreed that the Certificate of Road Safety should indicate the modifications that have been made to the vehicle and the information on whether it may be used on national highways or only off-road.

The certificate would be issued by the modification service centers and not by the car manufacturers, should the proposal push through.

A technical working group has been created, composed of concerned agencies, to facilitate other recommendations from the stakeholders for the possible amendment of Department Order (DO) No. 2010-32 that focuses on the harmonization of motor vehicle classifications.

“If there is a need to amend the old Department Order implemented in 2010, so be it. But, let it be amended on the basis of relevant studies and evidence. Let us open our doors to transparent dialogue. Our priority is safety,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

DOTr also reminded the public that vehicles using blinding lights would be apprehended by LTO-deputized enforcers. —Dona Magsino/ LDF, GMA News