Speed limits in the Philippines



Speed limits in the Philippines are specified in Republic Act No. 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of the Philippines, which took effect on its approval on June 20, 1964. The act covers a number of areas other areas than speed limits, and was amended regarding some of those areas by Republic Act No. 10930, which was approved on August 2, 2017.

As of 2024, RA 4136 is listed as current by the Land Transportation Office. Speed limits covered in the act apply to motor vehicles when mainly traversing national roads, but lower speed limits may be specified on provincial and local roads in the interest of road safety and design speed, but not exceeding that of RA 4136. Roads within private property are not subject to the speed limits of RA 4136.

Nonwithstanding the above, the generally applied maximum speed limits are 20 to 30 kph on most city or municipal roads, 40 to 80 kph on most highways, and 100 kph on most expressways.

The speed limit sign is a red circle with numbers inside as in most countries including Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Act No. 2159
Speed restrictions for motor vehicles were first defined during the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands in Act No. 2159, the first formal law on land transportation, which was passed by the 3rd Philippine Legislature on February 5, 1912. Under this act, it was prohibited for a motor vehicle to be operated "recklessly" or at a speed that may inflict damage to property or the safety or rights of people relative to current road conditions.

"SEC. 24. No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any highway in these Islands recklessly or at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable and proper, having regard to the width, traffic, grades, crossings, curvatures, and other conditions of the highway and to the conditions of the atmosphere and weather, or so as to endanger the property or the safety or rights of any person or so as to cause excessive or unreasonable damage to the highway."

Act No. 2389
On February 27, 1914, Act No. 2389 was passed into law, providing amendments to Act No. 2159. These amendments added maximum speed limits for all motor vehicles in certain road conditions and areas, specifically when traversing town roads, at blind corners, and intersections.

Under the amendments in Act No. 2389, a driver will be considered as driving at a "speed greater than is reasonable and proper" for:
 * Crossing a street railway at a speed greater than 10 mph
 * Driving within a city or poblacion at a speed greater than 20 mph
 * Driving faster than 15 mph when visibility is obscured at curves, intersections, or meeting other vehicles or conveyances
 * Driving faster than 10 mph when a tram car is stationary or about to stop on the side of the driver of the motor vehicle

Act No. 2587
On February 3, 1916, Act No. 2587 added more amendments to Act No. 2159, adding maximum speed limits for motor vehicles based on the gross vehicle weight and the material of the tires used.

Act No. 3045
On March 9, 1922, Act No. 3045 added maximum speed limits for motor vehicles with pneumatic tires and increased the speed limits provided in previous acts.

Under the amendments in Act No. 3045, a driver will be considered as driving at a "speed greater than is reasonable and proper" for:
 * Crossing a street railway at a speed greater than 15 kph
 * Driving within a city or poblacion at a speed greater than 30 kph
 * Driving faster than 25 kph when visibility is obscured at curves, intersections, or meeting other vehicles or conveyances
 * Driving faster than 15 kph when a tram car is stationary or about to stop on the side of the driver of the motor vehicle

Act No. 3992
On December 2, 1932, Act No. 3992 changed maximum speed limits to be based on road conditions and the type of motor vehicle and adds exemptions for emergency vehicles and certain government vehicles. These speed limits would serve as the basis for the current speed limits in RA 4136, which repeals this act.

The act also prohibits the failure of an automobile or motorcycle operator to come to a full stop within 20 m but not less than 2.5 m from a road intersection or railroad crossing. The exception to this is if no hazard exists, a driver is allowed to pass at a maximum speed of 10 kph.

Current speed limits
The current speed limits for motor vehicles are provided by Republic Act No. 4136, passed by the 17th Congress of the Philippines on June 20, 1964, which consolidates and repeals all previous acts into a unified traffic code. RA 4136 states that any person driving a motor vehicle on a highway shall:
 * Drive at a "careful and prudent speed" not greater nor less than is "reasonable and proper" with due regard for the traffic, the width of the highway, and of any other existing and prior conditions
 * No person shall drive any motor vehicle at such a speed as to endanger the life, limb and property of any person, nor at a speed greater than will permit him to bring the vehicle to a stop within an assured clear distance ahead.

Based on the above provisions, RA 4136 defines maximum allowed speed limits, which apply to all motor vehicles on public highways, including cars, motorcycles, jeepneys, and trucks.

All public thoroughfares, boulevards, driveways, avenues, parks, and alleys are defined as "public highways" under this act. As such, speed limits do not apply to corridors within private property.

RA 4136 also states that the driver of any vehicle traveling at an unlawful speed shall forfeit any right of way which he might otherwise have enjoyed under the same law.

Local speed limits
RA 4136 states that no provincial, city, or municipal authority is allowed to enact or enforce any ordinance or resolution that changes the maximum allowed speed limits in the act. However, this is superseded by the DOTr-DPWH-DILG Joint Memorandum Circular 2018-001, which encourages all Local Government Units (LGUs) to enact and enforce local speed limit ordinances and to define speed limits according to local conditions.

On national roads, speed limits must follow the recommended design speed of the road topography based on DPWH guidelines and standards.

On provincial and local roads, LGUs may designate their own speed limits subject to the approval of the DOTr. In the interest of road safety, these speed limits may be lower than that in RA 4136 provided that they do not exceed the per road classification maximum speed limits of RA 4136.

Expressways
Speed limits on all limited-access highways or expressways in the Philippines are defined by Department of Public Works and Communications (DPWC) Administrative Order No. 1 signed on February 19, 1968. The order states that vehicles on expressways must be driven at a minimum speed limit of 60 kph and a maximum speed limit of 100 kph. However, this may vary between different expressways all around the country.

The order also prohibits any vehicle or equipment that is incapable of traveling on expressways at the minimum speed limit from driving on the expressway.

, the minimum and maximum speed limits on expressways are as follows:

On May 18, 2023, Ilocos Sur 1st district representative Ronald Singson filed House Bill No. 4089, which proposes to increase the maximum speed limit on expressways from 100 kph to 140 kph. Under the proposal, buses and other large vehicles would have a speed limit of 120 kph while other vehicles would have a speed limit of 140 kph.

Major roads in Metro Manila
In Metro Manila, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) defines a 50 to 60 km/h maximum speed limit on specific radial and circumferential roads that it has jurisdiction over, including Commonwealth Avenue and Macapagal Boulevard.

Enforcement
Enforcement of speed limits are low in the Philippines due to lack of awareness of the mandate set by RA 4136. To address this concern, DOTr, DPWH and DILG issued a joint memorandum on January 17, 2018 addressed to LGUs regarding the implementation of RA 4136 and encouraging LGUs to adopt lower speed limits in a bid to reduce road crash fatalities and injuries nationwide. LGUs are enjoined to adopt guidelines on road classification, setting and enforcement of speed limits according to local settings, and the collection and analysis of road crash data. The United Nations Road Safety Fund has conducted training-of-trainers for law enforcement personnel who can then in turn train others in practical speed enforcement training.