Helmet used as basket gets pair fined

Published: 5:15 p.m.,  Feb. 11, 2018 } Updated: 12:15 a.m., Feb. 12, 2018

To ensure the safety of motorcycle riders, they must wear their helmet all the time and not use it for other purposes.

A couple learned this the hard and costly way after they were apprehended, not once but twice, by traffic constables of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in Quezon City (MMDA).

A video which went viral after being posted on Facebook showed the two being stopped on Visayas Avenue by MMDA enforcers for not wearing helmets over the weekend.

Although the man who was driving the motorcycle was wearing his, the woman was not because she had placed the food they bought inside her helmet.

In a radio interview on Sunday, MMDA operations supervisor Bong Nebrija said this was the reason given by the woman for not wearing her helmet. “They had placed the food inside the helmet, turning it into a basket,” he added.

The video also showed the woman repeatedly swearing at and trying to hit with her helmet one of the MMDA enforcers and the person taking the video.

Justified reaction?

Nebrija said the woman claimed that when they were first apprehended on Road 3, the traffic enforcer laughed at her mockingly as she was trying to reason out.

“Immediately after I learned of her accusation, I had the enforcer called. If she felt insulted, she could file a case in the MMDA and we will take action on that,” he added. “But there is no need to curse us. We are just implementing laws.”

Six hours after its posting, the video of the incident has gone viral, gaining over three million views.

It had been shared more than 92,000 times and had garnered more than 80,000 reactions, with most people criticizing the woman for her behavior.

Netizen Oliver de Guzman commented: “The girl should have been sued for public assault. Thank you for protecting our enforcers.”

Nebrija said that 15 minutes before the video was taken, the pair was flagged on Road 3 in Project 6, for not wearing helmets. Minutes later, they were apprehended on Visayas Avenue for the same violation.

Hefty fine

“We are not apprehending you just to fine you. This is for your own safety,” he said of the pair who were fined a total of P6,000 for the twin violations.

The wearing of standard protective helmets at all times on any type of road is mandated under Republic Act 10054 or the Motorcycle Helmet Act of 2009 to prevent death and injuries in traffic accidents involving motorcycles.

According to 2016 MMDA data, reckless motorcycle riding was the top cause of death and injuries in the metropolis.

Motorcycles accounted for the highest fatal crash rate with 218 cases, followed by trucks with 103 and cars with 98. /je /pdi