LTO releases specific guidelines on LED use

MANILA, Philippines – After a series of talks with the motorcycle community, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) released a specific set of guidelines regarding the use of light emitting diode (LED) lights.

The document, released on Thursday, April 7, details the rules and regulations governing LED use.

The LTO reiterated its previous memo on LED lights and other fixtures, but added this clarification: “Use of LED or HID (high-intensity discharge) lamps is allowed as long as it adheres to the parameters.” 

According to the memo, headlights must be:

• White or yellowish in color
• Capable of being directed downward
• Incapable of going on blinker mode

For brake lights, only one is allowed, and it should be:

• Placed at the rear of the vehicle
• Wired (to be turned on only when the brakes are applied)
• Wired so that it is 5 times brighter than the taillight when the brakes are applied

Taillights, however, should only be red, and incapable of going on blinker mode; while signal lights should only be orange, yellow, or amber.

One of the thornier points leading up to the memo’s release, however, are the additional fixtures.

Fog lamps and auxiliary headlamps were two of the fixtures the motorcycle riders fought hard for.

The LTO specified the requirements for fog lamps which included its color – white or selective-yellow – and times of use – only when there is “thick fog, falling snow, heavy rain, or similar conditions.”

The LTO also allowed two auxiliary headlamps, but only upon meeting the following requirements:

• White or selective-yellow
• Mounted in a way that it would not be affected by shocks
• Not used on well-lit streets or when meeting another vehicle on a public highway
• Must have a maximum of 6 bulbs per lamp and not combined as one unit or placed together to form a bar

Uproar

There was uproar when the LTO first released the January 18 memo reminding all LTO offices in the country to strictly enforce the existing rules.

“In the interest of road safety and pursuant to DOTC-LTO-LTFRB Joint Administrative Order 2014-01, the undersigned reiterates the drive against unauthorized wang-wangs (sirens), LED lights, and all other modifications,” said the original memo.

Motorcyclists, however, understood it to mean that the LTO would arrest anyone using LED lights and other modifications, causing confusion among riders.

What do you think about the LTO’s policy on LEDs and other modifications? Write about it on X! – Bea Orante/Rappler.com