Solon files bill that will penalize road rage motorists

A lawmaker has filed a bill seeking to penalize motorists who will figure in road rage incidents.

Noting that incidents of road rage in the country have been increasing, San Jose del Monte Representative Florida ''Rida'' Robes lodged House Bill No. 1511, which seeks to ensure safe roads for the public.

In her bill, Robes defined road rage as ''any 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 at another or an attempt thereof, reckless driving, any kinds of threat or intimidation, and use of force against another person and other analogous circumstances.''

''This bill seeks to address the rising incidents of road rage by imposing penalties on erring motorists to make our roads safer for all users,'' Robes said.

The congresswoman is proposing that any person who engages in road rage shall be penalized with an imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than six years and/or a fine of not less than P250,000.

She added that the driver's license of a person who engages in road rage shall be revoked and shall not be eligible for renewal for the next five years following the incident.

According to Robes, the proposed measure does not preclude a victim of road rage from filing a separate action for damages or another affirmative relief. She said the regulations of the measure will be implemented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) once enacted into law.

Robes' initiative comes after the LTO suspended the driver’s license of a suspect involved in the fatal shooting of a motorist at the EDSA-Ayala Tunnel in Makati City last month.

To recall, a 65-year-old male family driver died after another motorist shot him following a traffic altercation. Authorities have arrested the alleged gunman at his house in Pasig City.—RF, GMA Integrated News