Child seat law needs to be reviewed –commuter safety lawyer

Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection President Atty. Ariel Inton echoed senators' call for the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Department of Transportation to defer the implementation of the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act.

Speaking on Balitanghali on Friday, Inton said that the law needed to be reviewed due to the "impracticality" of some of its provisions.

"Safety is the best excuse to make money nowadays," he lamented.

Inton cited a provision in the law that required a government list of sellers and importers of child restraint systems. The list had yet to be issued.

"Ang mga binebenta bang 'yan ay nasa listahan? Itanong natin, may listahan na ba? Baka wala pa, and then mag-i-implement tayo," he argued.

Inton also questioned a requirement based on a child's height.

"Pagka 4'11 na, puwedeng [walang child seat] at seat belt na lang. Ano ba ang diperensya kung ang anak ko 4'10 o 4'9, one inch or two inches shorter? Hindi ba puwedeng naka-seat belt lang?"

Inton added that the age requirement for car seats for children should be lowered.

"Mas mainam na babaan natin ang edad. 'Yung three years old pababa, maaaring kailangan 'yan, pero 'yung elementary students, Grade 3, Grade 4, sa tingin ko po hindi na kailangan."

Inton also cited a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) circular that only required seatbelts on school services for children's safety, implying that car seats were unnecessary. — Jamil Santos/DVM, GMA News