EDITORIAL — Too young to drive, but not to die

Two 15-year-old boys died last Sunday noon after the motorcycle they were riding hit a passenger bus along the national highway in Barangay West-Canayaon, Garcia-Hernandez town, Bohol Province.

Police said the accident happened after the motorcycle, traveling at high speed heading to Jagna town, overtook another vehicle and got into the lane the bus was on, hitting it head-on.

The boys, who were cousins and residents of Barangay West Poblacion of the town, suffered serious head injuries as a result of the accident and died on the spot.

In the many areas, people have no other option for transportation except the motorcycle. And for many, the earlier they know how to operate one the sooner they can help their family out or even start to earn a livelihood.

But there’s also such a thing as too young to drive. As was the case for whoever was driving that motorcycle in the Bohol incident, who was without a license, without a helmet, and obviously without adequate training on road safety.

We have all been young once; with youth comes a certain recklessness stemming from a feeling of invincibility. The youth cannot be blamed for this, but this attitude and behavior can lead to serious injury or even death.

We are sure those boys aren’t the only underage motorcycle riders driving without a license, without a helmet, and without proper training. We see a lot of them already working as motorcycle-for-hire drivers in different barangays.

Obviously, we need to keep those who aren’t old enough or ready enough to drive yet from doing so. No one is too old or too young to die in an accident.

That aside, we are again wondering if this is another test case for House Bill 10196 filed Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores to “clarify the presumptions that are applicable in road safety incidents or vehicular mishaps to protect law-abiding persons from misapplied presumptions.”

Because it’s still possible the bus driver will face unfair consequences; his only fault being unable to prevent a series of unfortunate events, and being unable to stop such a huge vehicle on a dime.