~I'l'mt" 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
{fioH,;r of tli~ ,jcf<nrbrg 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
"13 
JUL -8 A11:44 
SENATE 
S.No. 
570 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 11, Section 13 states that: 
The State recognizes the vital role ofthe youth in nation-building and shall 
promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social 
wellbeing. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and 
encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs. 
This bill seeks to protect the physical well-being of Filipino children by addressing the 
problem of road accidents, both in crash and non-crash situations. Every year, 1.2 million people 
die from road and traffic injuries. According to studies done by the World Health Organization, 
this figure will rise, making road accidents the third leading cause of premature death by 2020. In 
the Philippines, morbidity and mortality from accidents and injuries have steadily increased in 
the last two decades. Motor vehicle accidents cause the deaths of 61 people out of every 100,000. 
Among children between 5-14 years old, the leading cause of death is car accidents. In order to 
address these troubling and ever-increasing statistics, this bill will encourage the use of child 
dummies in crash test programs (1) to better study the impact of car accidents on children; and 
(2) for car manufacturers to devise safeguards to protect children riding in automobiles. 
This bill also exhorts the Secretary of Transportation and Communication to undertake 
(1) child safety information programs; (2) data-gathering on vehicle safety technology; and (3) 
data-gathering on injuries and deaths in non-traffic, non-crash events. l 
1 This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 
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2 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.No. 
5'70 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
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(@Ih;,. t1f ti1e j,,('t1.'l'tnt\t 
·13 
JUL -8 All :44 
TO IMPROVE CHILD SAFETY IN MOTOR VEHICLES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Safe Kids in Cars Act." 
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SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
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promote and protect the physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being of the 
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youth. In pursuance of such goal, the State shall implement car safety programs for children. 
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SECTION 3. Child Dummies In Safety Tests. -
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(A) Review Process Required. - Not later than two (2) years after the date of the 
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enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation and Communication shall conduct a 
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review process to increase utilization of child dummies in motor vehicle safety tests, including 
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crash tests, conducted by the Department of Transportation and Communication. 
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(8) Criteria. - In conducting the review process under paragraph (A), the Secretary shall 
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select motor vehicle safety tests in which the inclusion of child dummies wi11lead to increased 
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understanding of crash dynamics with respect to children and measurably improved child safety. 
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(C) Public Input. - The Secretary shall solicit and consider input from the public 
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regarding the review process under paragraph (A). 
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(D) Report. - Not later than one (I) year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
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Secretary shall publish a report regarding the implementation of this section. The report shall 
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include information regarding the current status of crash test dummies. 
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SECTION 4. Child Safety Information Programs. -
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(A) In General. - Not later than eighteen (18) months after the date of the enactment of 
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this Act, the Secretary shall supplement ongoing consumer information programs relating to 
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child safety with information regarding hazards to children in non-traffic, non-crash accident 
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situations. 
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(B) Activities to Supplement Information. - In supplementing such programs, the 
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Secretary shall--
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(I) Utilize information collected in the database maintained under Section 7 regarding 
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non-traffic, non-crash injuries, as well as other relevant data from private organizations, to 
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establish priorities for the program; 
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(2) Address ways in which parents can mitigate dangers to small children arising from 
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preventable causes, including back over incidents, hyperthermia in closed vehicles, and 
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accidental activation of power windows; 
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(3) Pmtner with national child safety research organizations and other interested 
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organizations with respect to the delivery of program information; and 
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(4) Make information related to child safety available to the public via the Internet and 
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other means. 
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SECTION 5. Report on Vehicle Visibility. - Not later than two (2) years after the date of 
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the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the extent to which 
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driver visibility of the area immediately surrounding light passenger vehicles and obstructions to 
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such visibility affect pedestrian safety, including the safety of infants and small children, in non-
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traffic, non-crash situations. 
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SECTION 6. Report on Enhanced Vehicle Sqfety Technologies. -Not later than eighteen 
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(18) months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
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report that describes, evaluates, and determines the relative effectiveness of -
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(A) Currently available and emerging technologies, including auto-reverse functions, that 
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are designed to prevent and reduce the number of injuries and deaths to children left tmattended 
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inside parked motor vehicles, including injuries and deaths that result from hyperthermia or are 
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related to power windows or power sunroofs; and 
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(B) Currently available and emerging technologies that are designed to prevent deaths 
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and injuries to small children resulting from vehicle blind spots and back over incidents. 
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SECTION 7. Database on Injuries and Deaths in Non-Traffic, Non-Crash Events. -
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(A) In General. - The Secretary shall maintain a database of, and regularly collect data 
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regarding, injuries and deaths in non-traffic, non-crash events involving motor vehicles. The 
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database shall include information regarding -
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(1) The number, types, and proximate causes of injuries and deaths resulting from such 
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events; 
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(2) The characteristics of motor vehicles involved in such events; 
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(3) The characteristics of the motor vehicle operators and victims involved III such 
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events; and 
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(4) The presence or absence in motor vehicles involved in such events of advanced 
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technologies designed to prevent such injuries and deaths. 
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(B) Regulations. - The Secretary shall prescribe regulations regarding how to structure 
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and compile the database. The Secretary shall solicit and consider input from the public 
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regarding data collection procedures and the structure of the database maintained under 
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paragraph (A). 
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(C) Deadlines. - The Secretary shall -
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(1) Complete the presctiption of regulations and the consideration of public input under 
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paragraph (B) not later thm1 ninety (90) days after the enactment of this Act; and 
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(2) Commence the collection of data under paragraph (A) not later than January 1, of the 
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year following the promulgation of this Act. 
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(D) Availability. - The Secretary shall make the database maintained under paragraph (A) 
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available to the public. 
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SECTION 8. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
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valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
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order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
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with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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