The National Police Commission (Napolcom) on Monday expressed full support for Senate Bill 338, or the Defensive Driving Protection Act, calling it a needed reform to address long-standing weaknesses in traffic enforcement.
Authored by Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, the bill seeks to protect motorists from automatic detention in road incidents when they are not at fault.
If passed into law, the measure will allow drivers to present on-the-spot evidence, including dashcam footage, CCTV recordings or witness accounts, to show they were driving defensively and in compliance with traffic laws.
Napolcom Commissioner Rafael Vicente Calinisan said the measure reinforces due process and corrects the practice of treating arrest as the default response in traffic incidents.
“Detention should not be the default when a motorist is involved in an incident. If there is clear evidence that the driver complied with the law and was not negligent, there is no basis for an arrest,” Calinisan said.