UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
Two incidents in the past week highlighted the issue of road rage, which is increasingly common. A viral video showed an SUV driver in fisticuffs with three motorcycle riders, and being outnumbered, drew his gun and fired at the assailants. He hit all three and also managed to injure his female companion. One of the riders succumbed to his injuries. The SUV driver is now in jail facing murder and frustrated murder charges.
Another viral story was that of a driver who had his cell phone snatched. He went after the snatcher and rammed his vehicle into the guy, killing him.
Everyone who drives has stories of road rage, myself included, though I had not gone to the extreme of such actions. But our road environment is fraught with situations that will test the patience of a Job.
I have been driving since age 17, and have experienced many situations that could have led to tragic endings. I’ve also had my only brother die in a motorcycle accident. There is so much anarchy on our roads nowadays compared to 50 or so years ago. Our roads are much more congested and the ready availability of cheap motorcycles has led almost everyone to buy and drive these two-wheelers.
Unfortunately, not all of them had driving lessons or learned road courtesy. The result is that phenomenon you see of riders swarming all over the road and weaving in and out of lanes without regard for others, let alone their own safety.
Nowadays, motorcycle riders consider themselves kings of the road (step aside, jeepney drivers). They disregard the most basic traffic rules and road courtesy. Some think they own the designated motorcycle lane and will honk their horns, which are now super loud, if you attempt to cross the lane to get to your destination. And as that incident above shows, they are not above ganging up on a driver or pedestrian to prove their point.
Most riders are on the streets for a livelihood, delivering goods or picking up passengers. I have no problem with that, and respect people who are working hard for their families. I make it a point to tip delivery riders and thank them for their vital services, without which many businesses will grind to a halt, like what happened during the pandemic.
But I have to admit I do lose my temper every time one of them cuts in front of my vehicle without so much as a signal, though sometimes, they wave their hand as an apology. It’s not so much as being one-upped but more of fearing that I might kill one accidentally. So, I may let loose with cuss words in the privacy of my car and my blood pressure shoots up. These are the moments in which you can lose sanity temporarily and do something rash.
Fortunately, I don’t own a gun ever since, so the temptation to use one is not an option for me during fits of temporary insanity on the road. Of course, a motor vehicle is a deadly weapon on its own if used with malign intent, so I hope I don’t succumb to the primal urge to go after an errant rider.
During my 50 or so years of driving, I have had the good fortune of not figuring in serious accidents. In fact, I could count on my fingers the few times I figured in an accident, which are usually not of my making. I have had a rider crash into the side of my car, another zoomed in front of me while I was turning onto a bridge, and the last one counterflowed smack into my van. I have long resigned myself to getting into accidents with riders though I hope and pray that nothing serious will happen.
The basic problem is that there is very lax law enforcement on motorcycle riders. We’re not talking about checkpoints meant to harass and possibly extort from these riders but that there is no serious application of traffic rules and regulations.
The result is mayhem and carnage on the roads and an increasing number of deadly accidents involving mostly motorcycle riders, who comprise the most fatalities on the road.
The tragedy extends to motorists who encounter such “kamote” riders and end up being blamed for the deadly accidents even if the riders are actually at fault. Imagine facing a homicide charge even if you’re innocently driving along and someone crashes into you from the side or rear. In this country, the police will charge you for such, because they reason that you are better off than the riders are just because you own a car, and therefore must be made to shoulder the expenses, hospital or funeral wise.
That is “kamote” law enforcement.