Nearly half of all public utility vehicles (PUVs) failed to meet the required brake safety standards in a recent inspection campaign, raising serious concerns about road safety in the Philippines. The Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines (VICOAP), a non-profit organization of accredited motor vehicle inspection centers (MVICs), revealed that between January and September 2025, around 47.3% of PUVs tested didn’t pass brake examinations.
In more detail, the VICOAP stated that over 1.71 million vehicles were subjected to brake testing during the nine-month period. Of those, some 737,215 failed to meet the benchmark standards for braking performance. VICOAP’s findings reveal a troubling reality about the poor condition of the country’s most accessible public transport fleet. Regarding this, the group is urging government authorities, transport operators, and industry stakeholders to enforce stricter brake-testing protocols and improve maintenance standards across the board.
VICOAP’s initiative aligns with the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) road safety action plan, which aims to achieve a 35% reduction in traffic-related incidents by 2028. The organization emphasizes that mandatory brake inspections of PUVs should form part of the wider strategy to improve the roadworthiness of PUVs in the years to come.
Industry experts say the current regulatory framework falls short. While emission testing and other standards are mandated for public vehicles, brake systems have often been excluded from routine mandatory checks. VICOAP suggests that this must change immediately, given the serious risk of the situation.
If left unchecked, thousands of PUVs with substandard brakes will continue to operate, potentially placing commuters at risk every day. VICOAP calls for collaboration with concerned government agencies to redefine inspection protocols, sanction units that fail, and ensure that safe vehicles are the norm, not the exception.
As the country prepares to observe the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on November 16, 2025, VICOAP hopes that the data will result in actions, shifting the discussion from statistics to the effective implementation of brake safety in public transport.
