The Land Transportation Office or LTO is now rationalizing driver’s licenses and one of the key takeaways here: be ready to attend a road safety seminar prior to your renewal. The news comes out after the LTO published the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 10930.

In it, it states that any motorist who currently holds a driver’s license (non-professional or professional) with a 5-year validity will have to undergo a mandatory road safety and proper road courtesy seminar prior to renewal. Meanwhile, those who hold a driver’s license with a 3-year validity will be allowed to move onto a driver’s license with a 5-year validity. After that, these individuals will have to undergo the same road safety seminar prior to their next renewal.

The rationale for this is that the LTO will now be implementing a point-based demerit system, similar to what’s being used in countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom.

LTO’s demerit point system has three basic categories: Grave Violations, Less Grave Violations (yes, that’s their term), and Light Violations that carry a demerit point of 5, 3, and 1 respectively.

Motorists who reach at least 5 demerit points will be required to attend a driver’s re-orientation course, while those who reach 10 demerit points will be required to attend a re-orientation course as well as a written exam. If a motorist reaches 40 demerit points, it will result in their license getting revoked.

The full IRR is below for your reference, but here are some examples:

• Grave Violation: Driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
• Less Grave Violation: Parking in front of a private driveway.
• Light Violation: Failure to carry Driver’s License or OR/CR while driving.

Even better, under this new system, drivers of Public Utility Vehicles will be meted double the number of demerit points for every traffic violation committed while operating a vehicle for hire. Meanwhile, holders of Student Driver’s permits are allowed less than 5 demerit points; anymore will result in the revocation of the Student Driver’s permit and will bar the Student Driver from applying for a new permit for 1 year.

The demerit points go back to zero upon a motorist’s Driver’s License renewal, though the records will be kept by the LTO permanently. And speaking of records, the LTO will also come up with an accessible and efficient way for motorists to check or verify the status of his license and the accumulated points, if any.

Now, if this all sound bureaucratic red tape, it’s not. With this move, the LTO will create a means for motorists to renew both professional and non-professional Driver’s Licenses online. In addition, they seek to reward motorists—those with no violations—with a Driver’s License that’s valid for 10 years.