Makati bans motorcyle riders from carrying small children in the city

The Makati City Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting motorcycle drivers from carrying small children on board in the city.

The city ordinance called “Children’s Safety in Tricycles and Motorcycles Ordinance of the City of Makati” strictly prohibits driving a motorcycle with a child on board, unless all of the following conditions are met:

•     the child’s feet can comfortably reach the foot peg of the motorcycle;
•     the child’s arms can reach around and grasp the waist of the driver; and
•     the child is wearing a standard protective helmet which bears a Philippine Standard (PS) or Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) mark.

The said ordinance also prohibits drivers from carrying minors in front or at the back of the tricycle driver’s seat.

The only exception is for cases when the minor being transported requires immediate medical attention.

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay endorsed the passage of the ordinance due to reports on road accidents which involve children as victims, not only in the city, but also in the provinces.

“Local governments must take swift and definitive action to arrest the growing number of children injured or killed in road crashes involving motorcycles and tricycles. It is our duty to use the powers vested in us to enact and implement laws that complement and strengthen national laws, and ensure these are strictly enforced in our own localities,” Binay said.

Binay appealed to parents to be "proactive" and warn their children to avoid riding at the backseat of tricycles as they would be "highly-vulnerable" to injury and death.

She also urged tricycle drivers to be always mindful of the safety of their passengers.

Tricycle and motorcycle drivers who will violate the ordinance will be penalized as follows:

•     P2,000 on the first offense;
•     P3,000 on the second offense;
•     P5,000 or imprisonment for a maximum of six months, or both for the third offense, at the discretion of the court.

The ordinance was published last December 12 and will take effect after 10 days, the Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Makati said. —NB, GMA News