Domondon: ‘Dash Cam’ Law in the city recommended

IN PURSUIT and promotion of safety, peace and order and the preservation of the comfort and convenience of the inhabitants of the city, Vice Mayor Edison Bilog filed with the City Council a proposed measure that would make it mandatory for owners and operators of public utility vehicle (PUVs) to install dashboard cameras or "dash cam" systems and providing for penalties in the event of non-compliance.

Dubbed as the “PUV ‘dash cam’ ordinance of the City of Baguio” the said proposed ordinance covers all PUVs in the city such as buses, trucks, vans, jeepneys, taxi cabs as well as other units used for public transport including transportation network companies and transportation network vehicles.

In his proposal Vice Mayor Bilog cited the necessity and importance of having a dashboard camera or ‘dash cam’ installed in a PUV which can monitor and record all on-going activities within and outside the vehicle and can provide a video recording of what transpires during the vehicles entire movement and thus essential particularly during road accidents, the occurrence of crimes, and even in terms of saving the lives of the driver and his passengers.

The Vice Mayor, who is also the Presiding Officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) also observed that in other countries such as in the U.S. the legalization of the use of so called ‘dash cams’ has resulted in an 80% reduction of accidents involving vehicles. He added that in the Philippines the recordings made using dashboard cameras installed in vehicles have been used in solving vehicular accidents or road mishaps as well as even illegal acts committed by traffic enforcers. He then emphasized that there is a necessity of installing dash cams in all PUVs in the City of Baguio in order to ensure the safety and protection of the drivers as well as their passengers.

The proposed legislative measure would also require that a dash cam that will be installed in a PUV should have the following features: (a) With exterior view (outside the vehicle) and cabin view (inside the vehicle); (b) With low light capability so that it could record videos at night; (c) External cameras can also be considered to record traffic accidents and monitor driving; and (d) Built-in Geographic Positioning System (GPS) to record and monitor the whereabouts of the vehicle. Other requirements in the installation of a dash cam in a PUV include restrictions such as that the dash cam system should not be larger than a 5 inch square area on the driver’s side of the windshield or a 7 inch square area on the passenger’s side of the windshield. The proposed ordinance also provides that the proper location of the location shall be such that it should not impair the driver’s view of the road and should also be outside the range of any airbag deployment. Also, both the driver and passengers should be monitored and recorded and the dash cam should be placed in a way that they are both covered.

In the event of non-compliance of the regulation, the proposed ordinance provides that a fine of one thousand pesos shall be meted out in the first offense, for the second offense a fine of two thousand five hundred pesos and for the third offense a fine of five thousand pesos and confiscation of driver's license.