SIX senators on Tuesday asked transportation authorities to defer implementation of the newly effective Child Car Seat law in the absence of clear guidelines.
They asked the (the Department of Transportation DOTr) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) to postpone implementation of RA 11229, which requires car seats for children 12 years old and below.
Senate Resolution 633 seeking postponement was filed by Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian, Nancy Binay and Grace Poe.
The senators said that while the law has a good intent, to protect children, there are several issues that need to be resolved first.
One issue pertains to the question of how to certify that a car seat is fit-for-use, since the LTO has not yet designated stations for installing car seats.
Likewise, the Bureau of Product Standards of the Department of Trade and Industry has not yet certified any particular brand or model of car seat that is safe for public use.
The senators also asked DOTr to consider the fact that a car seat is a considerable expense item for ordinary households still reeling from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DOTr, meanwhile, was reported saying that full implementation will not be observed for six months and penalties will not be imposed for now.