House Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos wants to criminalize "road rage", as well as tighten penalties for aggressive and retaliatory driving.

Marcos' proposal is contained in House Bill (HB) No. 8190 or the proposed “Anti Road Rage Act". The measure seeks to draw a firm legal line between ordinary traffic violations and deliberate acts that put lives at risk.

The second-term solon's bill is anchored on a basic principle of public safety: when anger spills onto the road, the consequences are rarely contained to the two people involved, and ordinary commuters, passengers, and pedestrians end up paying the price.

“We cannot allow road rages to continue on our roads, because one reckless decision can turn into a lifelong tragedy for an innocent family,” Marcos said.

Under HB No.8190, road rage is defined as any intentional and aggressive act committed by a driver or occupant arising from a traffic-related incident, carried out to intimidate, threaten, harass, retaliate against, or cause harm to another road user, and creating a clear and present danger to life, limb or property.

The bill lists acts such as driving in a manner that endangers another road user, using a vehicle as a means of intimidation or pursuit, and threatening or assaulting another person in connection with a traffic encounter.

The presidential son says the definition matters because it gives enforcers and prosecutors a clearer tool to address patterns that often escalate, including cases involving pursuit, obstruction, and threats of violence that begin with a traffic dispute and end in injury or death.

The bill's penal provision suggests imprisonment of six months and one day to one year or a fine of P20,000 to P100,000, or both, when road rage is committed without causing damage, injury, or death.

If road rage results in property damage or physical injury, the penalty increases to imprisonment of two years and one day to four years or a fine of P100,000 to P200,000, or both.

The measure further provides that if the offense results in two or more less serious physical injuries, or a serious physical injury or death, the offender shall be prosecuted for intentional felonies under the Revised Penal Code (RPC), with the appropriate penalties imposed in their maximum period, plus an additional fine ranging from P200,000 to P500,000.

HB No.8190 also states that these penalties are without prejudice to civil liability for damages.

To address behavior at the root, the bill requires offenders, in all cases, to undergo anger management trainings as may be determined by the courts, in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Marcos said the goal is accountability that is both punitive and corrective, especially in a climate where viral road rage videos often normalize intimidation and escalate copycat behavior.

The bill also sets aggravating circumstances that require maximum penalties, including cases where the offender carries, brandishes, or uses a deadly weapon, a firearm whether licensed or not, or an object made to appear as a firearm or deadly weapon, and cases involving victims who are minors, pregnant women, senior citizens, or persons with disability.

The same applies when the offender is a uniformed personnel charged with maintaining law and order.

The Marcos measure further provides immediate consequences on driving privileges: pending investigation, the driver’s license of an accused shall be immediately suspended, and upon final determination of liability, the offender shall be perpetually disqualified from obtaining or holding a driver’s license.