Chaos in our streets
Reading the newspapers the past few days, I’ve noticed that calls seem to be mounting for our national and local government agencies, particularly the MMDA, LTO and PNP to put order to the worsening situation taking over our country’s main thoroughfares, especially those within Metro Manila.I am, of course, referring to the lack of discipline that seems to be becoming the norm among the majority of our motorists. This lack of discipline is oftentimes the cause of many obstructions and accidents. These are the same problems we have been encountering for so many years, one would think our government would have formulated solutions to these already. Yet, you see the same scenarios everyday, on your way to school or office.
Too many illegal bus, jeepney and tricycle terminals situated along major road arteries, more often than not, cause major traffic jams. The drivers of these vehicles also have a bad habit of overtaking, then, indiscriminately stopping in the middle of the road to unload passengers, with nary a care if they are inconveniencing other motorists. There are many drivers too who seem to be very ignorant of traffic rules and regulations. Many times, you see drivers beating the red light, traveling without license plates, changing lanes suddenly without signaling properly and committing many other kinds of offenses. These kinds of violations clearly indicate the drivers’ lack of comprehension of road rules and regulations, you wonder why they are able to obtain licenses. These drivers have become the scourge of our streets!
And there is another kind of scourge – the motorcyclists who have sprouted like mushrooms all over the country — that is further aggravating what is already a terrible situation. These motorcyclists weave themselves through small spaces between vehicles during a stop signal, sometimes causing damage to the vehicles they are passing. They zoom along the streets, carelessly changing lanes at will, passing other vehicles, risking not only their lives but other motorists as well. These motorcyclists even use the sidewalks, unmindful of the danger they pose to pedestrians. Small wonder that road rage is fast becoming rampant.
World Health Organization studies have shown that a total of 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries around the world annually are attributed to road accident related incidents. The number of deaths and injuries worldwide has become so alarming that it is now considered an epidemic – comparable to malaria and tuberculosis! This has prompted the Vatican, citing the need to address these people’s pastoral needs, to come out with the “Ten Commandments” for drivers. The Vatican warned about the effects of road rage, saying driving can bring out “primitive” behavior in motorists, including impoliteness, rude gestures, cursing, blasphemy, loss of sense of responsibility or deliberate infringement of the highway code.
The problem, however, is not the lack of laws, but rather, the implementation of it. Too many times, we have heard about how these traffic offenders have not been apprehended in exchange for a measly sum or just because they have “connections.” We call on all concerned government agencies to put order to our streets. The rule of law must be enforced, otherwise, chaos and anarchy will prevail.
