EDITORIAL — Street fighter: Road rage edition

You have probably seen this viral video by now; two drivers fighting in the street in Cainta, Rizal, after they lost their cool on the road last Sunday.

It’s a slow burn but ends up in a K.O.; both drivers get out of their private vehicles to confront one another, although one is already armed with a baseball bat. The unarmed driver takes his opponent down and proceeds to give him a one-sided beating, which ends up with his opponent being knocked unconscious on the busy street.

But there is no glory for the winner. He has to suffer the indignity of removing his unconscious opponent’s dead weight from the street. All this as vehicles pass them by.

It was a textbook example of how to fight against someone armed with a weapon. Unfortunately it was also a textbook example of how a traffic dispute shouldn’t be settled.

Although the spectacle was entertaining it could have been worse; the one who took a beating came close to having his head run over by a vehicle the first time he was brought down.

Both drivers have been called before the Land Transportation Office to explain why their respective driver’s licenses shouldn’t be revoked. And there is good reason for the two to be stopped from ever driving again.

One on hand they are bad examples of driving behavior, but on the other hand they can also be pointed to as good examples of what will happen to those who let their anger get the better of their judgment.

Let this be another cautionary tale that those behind the wheel should never let their anger take over, especially in a high-stress situation like being stuck in traffic.

Unfortunately this seems to be a lesson that goes over the heads of many drivers. They only learn the hard way that a moment of misjudgment can lead to a lot of regret. And that a cooler head could have meant the difference between going home, going to jail, or going to the morgue.