Driver with blinding tail lights suspended for 3 months

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) have suspended for 90 days the driver’s license of a motorist whose vehicle recently went viral online for having glaring rear lights that distracted and endangered fellow drivers.

In a Show Cause Order issued by the agency, both the registered owner and the driver were summoned to explain the violation. The LTO said the motorist may face charges of Reckless Driving, Unauthorized Accessories, and Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle. The move follows mounting complaints from the public about vehicles with blinding lights, which have been flagged as road hazards, particularly at night.

Transportation officials stressed that lighting accessories, whether front or rear, must not exceed prescribed brightness levels or cause unnecessary glare that compromises safety. The use of unauthorized devices or modifications may result in penalties, suspension, or even revocation of driving privileges.

Acting Transportation Secretary, Banoy Lopez, reiterated that both the DOTr and the LTO will remain firm in enforcing traffic regulations. He added that the government will continue to crack down on motorists who repeatedly disregard road safety and put others at risk.

Earlier, then-Transportation Secretary, Vince Dizon, ordered the LTO to automatically suspend the licenses of drivers caught on video or in photographs violating traffic rules, even without the usual administrative hearing.

“Walang imbe-imbestigasyon, walang hearing-hearing, ‘pag may nakita kami na may video, na may pruweba na uma-abuso kayo sa kalye, suspendido kayo,” said Dizon.

(No investigation, no hearings, if we see a video, if there’s proof that you are being reckless on the road, you are suspended.)