LTO to give 10-year validity of license to drivers with spotless record

LTO will soon release a driver’s license with 10 years of validity to qualified drivers who wish to renew their licenses.

LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante shared that only drivers with no records of road traffic violations will be given the 10-year-long license. The new policy, which will be implemented starting October 2021, has been rendered into law last year under Republic Act. No. 10930.

Apart from the new policy of issuing driver’s licenses with 10-year validity, the office will also introduce a new demerit system for road violations. The new system will classify violations into three categories: grave with five demerit points, less grave with three demerit points, and light with one demerit point.

The demerit points are accumulated within the duration of a person’s driver’s license validity. Penalties range from simple fines to more severe sanctions such as suspension and revocation of license.

Grave violations include using a motor vehicle in committing a crime while less grave violations involve driving a public utility vehicle without a valid franchise or driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances. Meanwhile, first-time violations of traffic policies and ordinances are classified under light violations.

Violations that are categorized as less grave, but are committed repeatedly, could be classified as a grave violation.

Drivers with violations should also pay their fines or serve their penalties before claiming their renewed licenses which are only valid for five years.

“Hopefully with this measure, mababawasan yung mga road crashes, traffic accidents na nagko-cause ng mga injuries, even pagkamatay (there will be less road crashes, traffic accidents that cause injuries or even deaths),” Galvante said in a virtual press conference.