EDITORIAL — Permanent license revocation for road rage

One only needs to look at videos on the internet today to see how many drivers are giving in to what is now called “road rage”.

We have all seen it; drivers who feel so entitled they think they own the whole road, and that anything that happens isn’t their fault but someone else’s. They go to the extent of not just intimidating others other but sometimes go as far as to hurt or even kill them.

Remember that former cop who pulled a gun on a cyclist in Quezon City? He was hot copy for quite a while. The latest incident involved a businessman who beat up an elderly bus driver in Cavite.

Now the Land Transportation Office chief Markus Lacanilao has had enough and wants the lifetime revocation of driver's licenses of those involved in road rage incidents.

“Lahat ng masasangkot sa road rage, nire-recommend ko na ma-revoke for life,” Lacanilao said in an ABS-CBN report.

Is the lifetime revocation of driver's license for getting involved in road rage fair? Yes, but it should be on a case-to-case basis. If there was no one injured as a result of the incident then perhaps there’s no reason for that. Two drivers heatedly arguing before parting ways with no further incident can still be a road rage incident after all.

But if someone ended up hurt or worse, killed, then why not revoke that person’s license for life. We don’t need violent hotheads on the road.

Intimidation can also be a reason for permanent revocation, but perhaps there can also be degrees of seriousness. Threatening physical harm with words alone should mete a lesser penalty than threatening harm involving a gun or any other kind of weapon.

Of course, it’s up to the LTO and their higher-ups to decide with finality on this issue.

As with previous editorials involving road rage, we again caution drivers not to give in to their anger on the road. An overreaction, a momentary lapse in judgment has led to a lot of regret. Some drivers who succumbed to their rage have expressly said they just temporarily ran out of reason, and wished they could take back their actions. It’s too late for them, though.