LTO seeks higher penalty vs drunk driving

Drunk drivers, beware. The Land and Transportation Office (LTO) is asking Congress to amend existing traffic laws, to include the imposition of stiffer penalties against drunk driving. In seeking amendments to Republic Act 4136 (Land Transportation and Traffic Code) enacted on June 20, 1964, LTO chief Reynaldo Berroya said some provisions should be revised as these may no longer be applicable in present times. Singling out drunk driving, Berroya noted that many of the road accidents that resulted to deaths were caused either by drunk drivers or people driving under the influence. "There should be stiffer penalties against such kind of offense because these drivers endanger the lives of other people," Berroya said. He then cited an incident in Marikina City wherein a drunk driver ran over a funeral procession. The incident killed two people and injured two others. Berroya said Congress should not only introduce tighter penalties against DUI cases but also address the ongoing conflict between the local government units and other government agencies involved in traffic management. Originally, only the LTO had the authority to enforce traffic laws, issue traffic tickets and confiscate drivers’ license as stated in the traffic code. But with the enactment of Rep. Act 7924 creating the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), another government agency had been given powers concerning traffic management. Congress gave the MMDA the power to set "policies concerning traffic in Metro Manila, coordinate and regulate the implementation of all programs and projects concerning traffic management, specifically pertaining to enforcement, engineering and education." To avoid conflict, the LTO and MMDA signed an agreement wherein MMDA personnel will only go after vehicles that have committed moving violations, while the LTO will apprehend both moving and non-moving violations. At present however, even local government units have come up with their respective traffic ordinances and impose fines through the issuance of Ordinance Violation Receipts (OVR). - GMANews.TV