MANILA -- Concerned government agencies were asked to prevent the sale of fake motorcycle helmets in the country in light of a recent directive that required riders to have their helmets inspected and validated with import commodity clearance (ICC).
Republic Act 10054 or the Motorcycle Helmet Act of 2009 requires all motorcycle riders and passengers to wear standard quality helmets approved by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The department has initially set a July 31, 2012 deadline for existing helmet owners to follow the law but they were given an extension until yearend.
"It will serve no purpose to validate helmets already in the possession of the riding public if the sale of fake and substandard helmets is not curbed. Maybe later on, even the validation stickers will be faked, and when that happens, we would be putting the public in greater risk and danger instead of promoting their safety," Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. said.
Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines mandates the DTI to enforce the law's provisions on deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts or practices, product warranties, and labeling and fair packaging.
Moreover, RA 10054 makes the DTI responsible against the tampering, alteration, forgery and imitation of the PS (Product Standard) mark or ICC certificates in the helmets.
The department is also directed to go after those who use, sell and distribute substandard motorcycle helmets or those which do not bear the PS mark or the ICC certificate as Revilla called on the Bureau of Customs to go after shipment of these counterfeit products.
Revilla said the significance of helmet use by motorcycle riders is highly recognized and appreciated.
Data analysis from the US Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System showed that helmets can reduce motorcycle deaths by 37 percent and prevent brain injuries by 67 percent.
The number of road accidents involving motorbikes continues to rise for the last six years, according to the Land Transportation Office.
In Metro Manila alone, an average of 120,000 accidents per year is reported, but accidents related to motorcycles have nearly doubled from 9.4 percent (11,475) in 2005 to 14.6 percent (20,518) in 2011. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)