LTO chief pushes for stiffer road rage penalties

Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief Assistant Attorney Vigor Mendoza II is pushing for stiffer penalties for road rage incidents as the current penalties are “not that tough” — especially if the episode did not result in injury or death.

Mendoza was quoted in a statement saying that the law is prohibitive  as it mandates that the agency "cannot impose penalty higher than four years.”

Further, the LTO Chief Assistant noted that there should be a special law that defines and penalizes road rage incidents.

“Kung walang death or injury, kung grabe naman pagka-road rage niya, parang may special law siya, para ‘yung penalty niya would not be just a simple violation noong 4136, reckless driving or improper person. (if the incident did not result in death or injury but the episode of road rage was a little too much, there should be a special law so that the penalty would not be just a simple violation of [Republic Act> 4136, reckless driving or improper person),” Mendoza was quoted saying.

However, Mendoza noted that creating such legislation will require work as defining road rage can be difficult.

“Kasama diyan ‘yung pagcraft ng batas na magiging proposal namin sa Kongreso as far as road rage incidents are concerned pero we’re doing complete staff work muna kasi mahirap sabihin, mahirap i-define eh (that includes the crafting of the law that will be our proposal to Congress as far as road rage incidents are concerned, but we're doing complete staff work first because it's hard to say, it's hard to define),” said Mendoza.

To recall, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan Representative Florida Robes previously put forward a proposed measure that could punish hot-headed motorists.

In her targeted legislation, road rage was defined as “the aggressive, hostile, or violent behavior in traffic or on the road by a motorist, which may include mild to moderate screaming, wild gesturing at others, cursing or using bad language, physical attack and other attempt thereof, reckless driving, and any kind of threat or intimidation, or any use of force.”

The call for creating a law that governs road rage episodes stemmed from multiple incidents that went viral in the past few months. Several motorists — most of whom are carrying firearms — figured in similar altercations.

Photos from Land Transportation Office-Philippines and Congw. Ate Rida Robes Facebook pages

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