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    Article-Liability of Vehicle Owner

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    Atty Karissa Tolentino
    The registered owner of a vehicle is legally liable for any damages caused by that vehicle, even if they are no longer the actual owner. According to Supreme Court rulings, the registered owner is directly responsible regardless of who the actual driver was at the time of the accident. This is because it can be difficult to prove who the actual owner or driver was responsible. Selling a vehicle does not transfer liability from the registered owner, who must file paperwork with the Motor Vehicles Office to update ownership records. The law holds registered owners responsible to protect victims of accidents and provide recourse to recover damages.

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    Article-Liability of Vehicle Owner

    Uploaded by

    Atty Karissa Tolentino
    26 views1 page
    The registered owner of a vehicle is legally liable for any damages caused by that vehicle, even if they are no longer the actual owner. According to Supreme Court rulings, the registered owner is directly responsible regardless of who the actual driver was at the time of the accident. This is because it can be difficult to prove who the actual owner or driver was responsible. Selling a vehicle does not transfer liability from the registered owner, who must file paperwork with the Motor Vehicles Office to update ownership records. The law holds registered owners responsible to protect victims of accidents and provide recourse to recover damages.

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    The registered owner of a vehicle is legally liable for any damages caused by that vehicle, even if they are no longer the actual owner. According to Supreme Court rulings, the registered owner is directly responsible regardless of who the actual driver was at the time of the accident. This is because it can be difficult to prove who the actual owner or driver was responsible. Selling a vehicle does not transfer liability from the registered owner, who must file paperwork with the Motor Vehicles Office to update ownership records. The law holds registered owners responsible to protect victims of accidents and provide recourse to recover damages.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    26 views1 page

    Article-Liability of Vehicle Owner

    Uploaded by

    Atty Karissa Tolentino
    The registered owner of a vehicle is legally liable for any damages caused by that vehicle, even if they are no longer the actual owner. According to Supreme Court rulings, the registered owner is directly responsible regardless of who the actual driver was at the time of the accident. This is because it can be difficult to prove who the actual owner or driver was responsible. Selling a vehicle does not transfer liability from the registered owner, who must file paperwork with the Motor Vehicles Office to update ownership records. The law holds registered owners responsible to protect victims of accidents and provide recourse to recover damages.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    Liability of a

    Vehicle Owner
    By: Atty. Karissa Faye Tolentino

    Is the registered owner of a vehicle liable for damages arising from a vehicular
    accident even if he is no longer the owner of the vehicle at the time of the
    accident because he had previously sold it to another?

    Yes. The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the registered owner of any
    vehicle is directly and primarily responsible regardless of who the actual owner
    is. (MYC-Agro-Industrial Corporation vs. Vda. de Caldo, 132 SCRA 10) This is
    because there are numerous occasions where vehicles caused accidents or
    injuries to pedestrians or other vehicles without positive identification of the
    owner or drivers.

    In a landmark case of Erezo vs. Jepte (1957), the court held that the public has
    the right to assume that the registered owner is the actual owner thereof since it
    would be difficult to prove who the actual owner is.

    The Revised Motor Vehicle Law (Act No. 3992) requires that no vehicle may be
    used or operated unless the same is properly registered. The seller should
    furnish the Motor Vehicles Office a report showing the name and address of each
    purchaser of motor vehicle during the previous month and the manufacturers
    serial number and motor number. (Section 5(c), Act No. 3992) The main purpose
    of this requirement is to identify the owner so that if any accident happens,
    responsibility therefore can be fixed on a definite individual. A victim is usually
    without means to identify the person actually causing the injury or damage other
    than looking at the registration in the Motor Vehicles Office to determine who is
    the owner.

    Can the registered owner avoid liability if he can prove who the actual owner is?
    The answer is in the negative, otherwise it would be easy for him, by collusion
    with others to escape responsibility and transfer the same to an indefinite person.

    The law may appear quite harsh but it is to protect the general public.
    Nonetheless, a registered owner who has already sold or transferred a vehicle
    has the recourse to a Third-Party Complaint to recover for the damage or injury
    done against the vendee or transferee of the vehicle.

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