WITH an alarming high rate of road traffic crashes being recorded in Metro Manila alone—121,771 cases in 2019 and more than 65,000 even during the height of the pandemic last year—the Land Transportation Office (LTO) recently announced that it is set to implement this coming July 26, the provisions mandated in the Memorandum Circular No. MC-SC-2021-02 that makes vehicle testing procedures on light vehicles and motorcycles mandatory in areas where private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) are already operational.
“An unsafe vehicle on the road can kill and be as deadly as a vehicle driven by a drunk driver. A poorly maintained vehicle can experience mechanical failures that may end in a terrible road crash,” said Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Administrative Service Artemio U. Tuazon Jr. who also chairs the department’s Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center Steering Commitee.
He believed motor vehicles and motorcycles should be first strictly inspected for safety and road worthiness before their registrations can be renewed with the LTO.
Safe and roadworthy
“We can prevent the unnecessary loss of lives and property on our roads just by making sure that vehicles are safe and roadworthy. A road crash can happen anytime. May pandemya man o wala, maaring mangyari ang isang road crash kung hundi tayo magiging maingat,” stressed Tuazon.
With the memorandum, motorists and vehicle owners are given the option to have their motor vehicles inspected either by an authorized private motor vehicle inspection center (PMVIC) or have it inspected by the LTO.
Tuazon reminded that motorists need not worry about the cost of having their vehicles inspected for roadworthiness by a PMVIC as the inspection cost is now the same as the cost of an emission test given by a private emission testing center.
No extra charge
Tuazon however said that aside from the emission testing as mandated under the Philippine Clean Air Act, vehicles will be also be inspected for roadworthiness at a PMVIC at no extra charge. This is because the emission test is included in the battery of safety and roadworthiness checks to be done by the PMVIC on a motor vehicle.
Tuazon urges motorists to have their vehicles inspected by PMVICs so as not to crowd LTO branches. Incidents of graft in the registration process will also be prevented as the tests to be done at a PMVIC is recorded on video and all of the tests results are sent real-time to the main database of the LTO. “This will prevent incidents of tampered inspection results and “non-appearance” registrants as vehicles will really be tested for roadworthiness.
Meanwhile, Tuazon stressed that based on the opinion of the Office of the Solicitor General, there is no more question on the legality of motor vehicle inspections for safety and roadworthiness as part of the registration process with the LTO and that both DOTr and the LTO can also legally authorize PMVICs to conduct inspection of motor vehicles pursuant to valid administrative issuances.
