Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, _ 2303

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It is high time to seriously consider that deaths, injuries, and grave damage to properties
could have been prevented in a car-into-truck collision accidents had there been a law
passed setting appropriate technical standards for truck underride guards.

In other words, we can do something about fatal or nearly fatal vehicular accidents by
requiring large trucks or trailers to have underride guards that would prevent a passenger
vehicle in collision with a large truck to continue beneath the rear side of the taller truck that
would decapitate the upper half of the passenger vehicle and its occupants.

There can be a number of feasible designs that are effective, lightweight, and economical
and aimed at this kind of vehicle safety standards. If we are to-save more lives, more
individuals from major injuries, and more passenger vehicles from being damaged, then it
will be worth enacting a law for improved crashworthy designs for truck underride guards
based on certain technical standards proven to be already acceptable and tested

For instance, new regulations should consider as the permissible guard height above the
ground to be within 16 to 18 inches to protect smaller vehicles from decapitation. Further,
the guard's strength requirements must be strong enough as to absorb a given crash test
like perhaps, it should be based on 40-plus mph requirements or our local equivalent. This
means that at point of impact, it should resist a passenger vehicle from continuing
underneath as to be badly decapitated.

This humble author is of the belief that there is a need for rear underride protection in so far
as trucks, trailers and similar vehicles are concerned for the purpose of general highway or
road safety against possible accidents, fatalities, injuries.

This said, there is an accompanying need to require the same class of vehicles for guard rail
against lower side accidents or collisions. There is, of course, the so-called ‘Brazilian Plyer
Guard,’ a novel design for an underride prevention guard which was successfully crash-
tested at the General Motors crash laboratory facilities. There may be other technologies
available for use.

Available data on vehicular accidents involving car-into-truck collisions are not easy to
gather as should provide helpful information, in aid of policy although in US alone, half of
fatalities each year were caused by such accidents. Nevertheless, we can have a general
picture that tells us readily that across regions, accidents per 10,000 vehicles registered are
pegged at over 41% using old 2,000 figures from the Traffic Management Group. Certainly,
over 72% occurred in Metro Manila. Again, the number of fatalities on roads follows an
increasing trend from about 4,000 in 1998 to nearly 10,000 in 2003.


It is my humble submission that road safety is, first and foremost, also vehicle safety. The
provision in trucks and trailers of underride guards especially designed for local conditions is
a major step toward the reduction in statistical deaths, injuries, and vehicle damage, hence
the urgent passage of this important bill, “Truck Rear Undenide Safety Act,” is most
earnestly prayed for.

‘PYO'CASTELO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2303

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

AN ACT
PRESCRIBING MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD REQUIRING REAR UNDERRIDE
PREVENTION GUARD FOR TRUCKS, TRAILERS, AND SIMILAR LARGE VEHICLES
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines
in Congress assembled.

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Truck Rear Underride Safety Act.”

SEC. 2. It is the declared policy of the State to value the dignity of every person and
therefore, the safety of every individual ought to be a primordial concern.

SEC. 3. Under this Act, there shall herein be prescribed motor vehicle safety
standard requiring rear underride prevention guard for trucks, trailers, and similar large
vehicles.

The design shall be based on 18 to 20 inch height as neceSsary to protect smaller
vehicles in 40 mph crashes or its local equivalent of 64 kph engineered by a design certified
to be effective, lightweight and economical,

SEC. 4. The Department of Transportation and Communications shall issue and
prescribe appropriate technical guidelines, rules and regulations for the effective
implementation of this Act

Violation under this Act shall result in automatic impoundment of said truck, trailer or
similar large vehicle involved in car-into-truck collision and to be released only upon
satisfaction of this safety requirement. Otherwise, renewal of vehicle registration shall be
denied until after compliance of this vehicle safety requirement.

SEC. 5. Alll issuances, laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof
not consistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,