Teeth

President Aquino has signed R.A. No. 10586, otherwise known as the Act Penalizing Persons Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Dangerous Drugs and Other Similar Substances. Essentially, existing laws which were seen as inadequate to curb drunk and drugged driving have been given more teeth in the form of tougher penalties such as hefty fines and even jail time. The law also gives the authority for law and traffic enforcers to pull you over and conduct sobriety tests using a breathalyzer if they suspect you of being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Actions on the road such as “overspeeding, weaving, lane straddling, sudden stops, swerving, poor coordination, evident smell of alcohol on a person's breath or signs of use of dangerous drugs and other similar substances” are enough for them to conduct their tests.

I can already see future problems with these parameters. Maybe it's because of the stellar reputation of some law and traffic enforcers, I can already see how this authority can, and most likely, will be abused. Remember how the son of Gen. Espina was victimized by one of Quezon City's finest? Should you be in a hurry, having to suddenly stop because public utility vehicles do not care where and where they drop off and pick up passengers, you may find yourself breathing into an apparatus that only God knows is even clean! If they don't have a breathalyzer, which will not be uncommon, you are under their subjective definition of drunk or drugged driving. In other words, they have you where they want you.

Honestly, I never knew that there wasn't a law like this in the first place. I knew drunk driving was prosecutable under existing laws, but I guess penalties and fines were not enough to teach erring drivers a lesson. Especially if the drunk driver is wealthy, or some scion of some politician. You know the stories.

I have nothing against this new law. In fact, I celebrate it. So many times have we heard how a drunk driver plows his vehicle somewhere causing death and destruction. I only hope that the law is fully enforced, immediately putting suspects under police custody. How many times have we also heard how a drunk driver suddenly gets to go home? This time, they must not be allowed to leave the scene of the accident nor the police station. With a growing young population bordering on recklessness, the law offers some reminder as to the perils of violating it.