No contact apprehension bill hurdles House

The bill aims to curtail graft and corruption and abuse of authority by traffic enforcers employing physical or face-to-face apprehension, while eliminating the prolonged exposure of traffic enforcers to road hazards. (File photo: Yannes Kiefer/Unsplash)

MANILA – A bill mandating no physical contact in apprehending traffic violators hurdled final reading approval at the House of Representatives.

During Monday’s plenary session, a total of 180 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill 10811, or the No Contact Traffic Apprehension (NCTA) Act, which mandates the use of the appropriate and available road surveillance technology in apprehending traffic violations.

The bill aims to curtail graft and corruption and abuse of authority by traffic enforcers employing physical or face-to-face apprehension, while eliminating the prolonged exposure of traffic enforcers to road hazards.

The measure mandates the tagging of the license of the erring driver instead of the registration of the vehicle involved in a traffic violation and alerting the Land Transportation Office of the violation.

It shall reward law-abiding drivers every five years when their license is clear of demerits as may be determined under Republic Act No. 10930 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.

Sharing of data of drivers and other road users shall be allowed among authorized traffic agencies in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

It also provides a transition period for the full implementation of the NCTA.