LTO urged: Require installation of dashboard cameras

MANILA, Philippines – With more traffic violators now being caught, named, and shamed on social media thanks to phone photos and dashboard camera (dash cam) footage, automotive journalist James Deakin wants the Land Transportation Offie (LTO) to make the installation of dash cams mandatory.

Deakin said that the installation of dashboard cameras is the “simplest, most cost-effective way” for motorists to protect themselves in the case of disputed car accidents or traffic violations.

“No more he-said-she-said. Let the cameras tell the story. We have gone way past the point of taking one word against the other. It’s time we take back our right to remain silent,” he said in a Change.org petition.

As of posting, the petition already has 200 signatures.

Deakin cited the number of times that video footage from phone cameras and dash cams got the attention of transportation officials, being used as basis for complaints against erring motorists or corrupt traffic enforcers. (READ: What to do when a dubious traffic enforcer flags you down?)

“Friends, if you’re sick and tired of being extorted by traffic cops, screwed by dishonest motorists in the event of a fender bender, or simply want to create an environment where motorists are forced to drive better because they know that everyone is watching, please sign the petition to have dash cams made mandatory in the Philippines,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Deakin said footage from the dashboard cameras can also help speed up the recording of evidence in accidents, helping avoid and worsen traffic buildup.

“The amount of time and money it will save in investigations, sketches, traffic, insurance fraud and court cases alone is already good enough reason to make it mandatory. Then you have the added benefit of deterring or reporting habitual law-breakers like counter-flowers, red-light-beaters, left-lane-hoggers and abusive traffic enforcers,” Deakin said.

Another benefit, he said, is that the cameras will help enforce good behavior and discipline among drivers, knowing that they are being watched.

“It’s a jungle out there. And if there’s anything we’ve learned from it, it’s that humans behave better when they know they are being watched. So it’s time to put eyes everywhere. Because as much as I value privacy, you lose all rights to it if you want to behave bad publicly,” he said.

If the petition gets enough support, Deakin hopes that the LTO can also subsidize the cost of installing dashboard cameras by providing discounts on vehicle registration. – Rappler.com