Reinforced DUI Law

Drunk driving accidents happen all the time in Philippine roads but often don’t get as much attention as they should.  This is mainly because of the weak law against offenders.  To add to that, many people believe they can drive without any problem with a few drinks in their system. But with the Senate’s approval of a new “DUI” act, we are now aided by a law with much more teeth. 

On January 29, 2013, the Senate approved its third and final reading on the bill imposing heavy penalties on individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  This bill hopes to cut down DUI (driving under the influence) related vehicular incidents in the country.

Senate Bill No.3365, otherwise known as the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2012, was authored  by Senators Sotto III, Trillanes IV,  Ejercito Estrada,  Lapid,  Villar, Legarda, Defensor Santiago, Revilla, Cayetano, Marcos Jr. and Honasan who is the Chairman on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs. This approved bill aims to reinforce the present Land Transportation Traffic Code of 1964, which penalizes a “DUI” driver to a meager 3 month prison term.

To give the new law a bigger impact, drivers caught under the influence but have not caused any physical injury or homicide, shall be fined from P20,000 to P80,000 and a maximum of 3 months imprisonment. DUI leading to injuries shall be fined from P 100,000 to P 200,000 and imprisonment ranging from 3 months to 12 years. DUI resulting to death/homicide shall be penalized with imprisonment ranging from 12 to 20 years plus a fine of P 300,000 to P 500,000.

Non-Professional licenses of offenders shall be confiscated and suspended for 12 months for the first offense and perpetually revoked for the second offense. Offenders holding professional licenses will have their licenses confiscated and perpetually revoked even for the first conviction. Perpetual revocation will disqualify violators from getting any kind of driver’s license after conviction thus disallowing them to drive for life.

Alcohol and drug testing will be mandatory for drivers involved in accidents which result in damages to property, injury and/or death.  The method of testing will be through breath analyzers and urine drug testing kits.

The act also states that the owner or operator of the vehicle driven by the offender will be directly and principally held liable together with the offender for the fine unless proven that the owner exercised extra ordinary diligence in the selection and supervision of his drivers and the offending driver in particular.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a universal issue that has been intensely addressed in the more developed countries.  Although laws vary worldwide, the end goal is to lessen injuries and deaths on the road. US studies show that tougher laws allowing for extensive fines upon conviction do play an enormous role in reducing DUI related incidents and fatalities.

Read more about it at senate.gov.ph.