The House of Representatives has passed on second reading a bill that seeks to ban drag racing between or among public utility or privately-owned vehicles.

Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito-Castelo, principal author of House Bill 8916, expects the bill to be passed on third and final reading next week.

Hipolito-Castelo said enactment of the measure is expected to reduce, if not totally end incidences of drag racing on public roads.

“Deplorably, many lives were snuffed out on account of drag racing in public roads which occurs at an alarming rate,” she said in the explanatory notes of the bill.

“This atrocious practice has resulted in the senseless and totally preventable death of a number of PUV riders and bystanders,” she said.

The bill defines drag racing as “a road race involving two or more vehicles driven side by side within a specified distance at accelerating speeds with the objective to outdo each other, or the employment of vehicles not necessarily driver side by side over a common course for the purpose of determining the relative speeds or power of acceleration of the vehicles.” The drag racing prohibition would cover “any type of motorized or electric vehicle, which uses a road, street or highway for the conveyance of goods people or goods,” including “four-wheeled, three-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles.” The ban would also apply to drag racing on a private road unless permitted by the local government unit concerned.

The proposed penalties are imprisonment of one year, or a fine of P300,000 to P500,000, or both at the discretion of the court.

First time offenders will be suspended from operatin motor vehicles within a six month period.

For the second offense, the offenders drivers license will be confiscated by government.

The Castelo bill also provides for the impounding of any vehicle involved in drag racing. The Land Transportation Office would be mandated to prescribe reasonable fees for the storage of impounded vehicles.