SOMETIME last month, two UST High School students were ran over by a bus as they crossed the pedestrian lane near the University’s gate on Arsenio Lacson Ave. Earlier, a Faculty of Medicine and Surgery student was bumped by a truck on the intersection of Dapitan St. and Lacson Ave. Fortunately, the three students survived the accidents.
The accidents tell something of the road courtesy of Filipino drivers. Aside from that it also shows that these drivers are not competent to operate motor vehicles.
Driving motor vehicles, trucks and buses at that, should be done with utmost diligence and care. Those incidents should have been avoided had the drivers been more cautious. The Land Transportation Code dictates that drivers should slow down near intersections and pedestrian lanes. But beyond the law, drivers should also keep in mind that they are operating machines that, when carelessly driven, can put to risk the life of others.
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The accidents remind me of a wake I attended in February last year of a female College of Saint Benilde student who was ran over by a speeding car on Taft Ave.
According to the victim’s father, the culprit was involved in drag racing at the time of the mishap.
Drag racing on the streets of the metropolis is nothing new. The deaths it causes are also not new.
A few weeks ago, I read in a broadsheet that Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr. has sponsored a bill that will outlaw drag racing.
I haven’t read the proposed measure, but I hope the bill will impose stiff penalties on violations that result in death or physical injuries. If the victim dies, an imprisonment equivalent to that imposed when homicide is committed should be imposed: incarceration of at least 12 years and one day up to 20 years.
My take is that by the time these arrogant drivers take the wheel and step on accelerators to race, they have already resolved upon themselves that they will violate the law. Given that intention, a heavy penalty is in place especially if someone dies as result of their blatant disregard of the law.
It’s indeed high time for the legislature to curtail this act of arrogance and showboating to avert more worthless deaths.
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I guess another measure to curtail these accidents is for the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to make sure that a driver’s license applicant really knows how to drive properly. I know LTO has all the rules and regulations to ensure faithful compliance with the laws, but it all boils down to the proper execution.
The LTO should rid its ranks of examiners and employees who give in to bribes or demand pay-offs in exchange for a driver’s license. Not only are they destroying the image of the agency and the government, but they indirectly contribute to these senseless deaths on the road.
