Reducing road rage

[Monseratto]

Reducing road rage - COUNTERFLOW By James Deakin - The Philippine Star » Business Features » Motoring

COUNTERFLOW By James Deakin (The Philippine Star) Updated August 22, 2012 12:00

Perhaps it is just sheer coincidence, but less than three weeks after I wrote an open letter to all the mayors, councilors and local government officials, pleading for them to create an ordinance to limit the amount of alcohol one can have before being allowed to drive, the Makati City mayor’s office has just confirmed in a telephone call that they are reactivating a 2003 ordinance that limits drivers to a blood alcohol limit of .06, and will begin enforcing it with the use of breathalyzers.

Also this week, after several years of banging on the topic here in these very pages, which eventually led to a meeting with DOTC assistant secretary Lantin last month, an online report now claims that Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Party-list Rep. Maximo Rodriguez, Jr. of Abante Mindanao, have just filed House Bill 6395, which is seeking to have all buses fitted with electronic speed limiters. Coincidence? Who cares. I’m just mighty proud that we’ve got some people in power who are not afraid to force change. And to you, sirs, I say thank you.

But as much as I would love to spend the rest of this column tooting your horns, if you’ll forgive me, there are plenty more issues that need attention and coincidences that need to be created. So just as I have been doing over the last couple of months, I will donate these 800 words to just one topic at a time so that it doesn’t get overwhelming and perhaps make it more manageable for someone in power to take ownership of it.

While it’s hot on everyone’s keyboards right now, let’s talk about road rage. It took a man wearing a purple shirt to bring this back into the spotlight, but the disturbing reality here is, there are plenty more cases of those with better fashion sense that are not being captured on video and served up on a plate for social media to feast on.

So let’s break down the problem.

It is easy to sit here and tap away at my laptop calling for castration or the online crucifixion for this Robert ‘Blair’ Carabuena and his brother, but as tempting as that is, and as much as I support Senator Marcos’ road rage law, which seeks to increase penalties for incidents of violence stemming from road rage, let’s start at the trickier part first: prevention.

While there will always be exceptions, road rage almost always seems to be a product of frustration. If we could reduce the frustration, we should dramatically reduce the confrontations.

Aside from traffic, potholes and inconsiderate drivers, a major source of frustration seems to stem from the discriminate application of the law. The feeling that this elicits is primal and can bring out the animal in almost anyone. Say I have been lining up patiently for ten minutes on the left lane to turn left and some douche bag cuts in front of the line from the right and is just ignored, or worse, waved through by an enforcer, that’s a flash point right there.

Respect is a two-way street and the fastest way to turn it into a dead end is by selective apprehension.

I’m not suggesting this is what happened to Mang Saturnino Fabros (we know from eye-witness statements that it was Carabuena running a red light), and am certainly not condoning what the Carabuena brothers did, but if the agency was to punish the traffic enforcer with suspension, re-training without pay, or expulsion, I guarantee you that you would see the laws being enforced more consistently, and in turn, more respect and patience being given by motorists. It’s all about creating a sense of equality.

Also, it would help if all traffic enforcers were licensed drivers. How can you enforce the rules when you don’t even know how to play game? There’s a natural empathy that can only come from another person who drives. Without that, there’s a fundamental disconnect that usually only leads to even more frustration—much like a basketball coach trying to coach baseball.

Now, assuming our enforcers are all on board, the next vital step comes from each and every road user. Please, do not drive like the street was named after you. If everyone would just drive with the assumption that they knew each and every person around them, and treated them like they would if they were face to face and not wearing two tons of expensive metal and tinted glass, road rage would be as common as random mall brawls. I know a car gives people a false sense of anonymity, but sooner or later, if you act like that, you are bound to cut off someone you know, or worse, someone you know with a camera phone and a Facebook account.

Emailjames*deakin.ph

[lowslowbenz]

Pag may seksing chick na kasama ... anong road rage??? ..

[thejerk]

this kind of reminds me of this one incident i was also apprehended by a manila traffic enforcer (iba pa pala ang mmda). sa may pakaliwa sa osmena hwy. hinuli ako kasi galing ako sa 3rd lane pero gusto ko kasi dumirecho. eh hindi ko pala alam na 3 lanes ang designated for turning left at isa lang ang padirecho. hinuli ako for something about changing lanes at talo daw ako kung nabunggo ako dahil may camera daw. ayun, sabi ko di ako taga dun at binigyan ko nalang. inisip ko rin baka solid line siya kaya ako nahuli. at di ko rin talaga alam na 3 lanes ang paleft. nung napadaan ulit ako dun, 3 lanes nga pero broken line so dapat pwede parin ako magchange lanes. anong pagkakamali ko nung panahon na yun?

[renzo_d10]

Pag may seksing chick na kasama ... anong road rage??? ..

Yung iba naman lalong nagiging maangas kapag may kasamang chick sa passenger seat. Gusto nila ipakita sa chick nila that they're man enough at may "tapang" sila. Kaso, more often than not, sila napapahiya kasi nabubugbog sila. Hehe.

[jon777]

Pag may seksing chick na kasama ... anong road rage??? ..

Yung iba naman lalong nagiging maangas kapag may kasamang chick sa passenger seat. Gusto nila ipakita sa chick nila that they're man enough at may "tapang" sila. Kaso, more often than not, sila napapahiya kasi nabubugbog sila. Hehe.

kapag syota na si seksi, usually tumatapang si pogi. Pero kapag nililigawan pa lang ni pogi si seksi, mabait si pogi

[Bin Diesel]

this kind of reminds me of this one incident i was also apprehended by a manila traffic enforcer (iba pa pala ang mmda). sa may pakaliwa sa osmena hwy. hinuli ako kasi galing ako sa 3rd lane pero gusto ko kasi dumirecho. eh hindi ko pala alam na 3 lanes ang designated for turning left at isa lang ang padirecho. hinuli ako for something about changing lanes at talo daw ako kung nabunggo ako dahil may camera daw. ayun, sabi ko di ako taga dun at binigyan ko nalang. inisip ko rin baka solid line siya kaya ako nahuli. at di ko rin talaga alam na 3 lanes ang paleft. nung napadaan ulit ako dun, 3 lanes nga pero broken line so dapat pwede parin ako magchange lanes. anong pagkakamali ko nung panahon na yun?

Huli talaga yun kapag dumiretso ka nadali na din ako dun e. siguro sa atin din dapat nagsisimula, huwag tayo maglagay huli kung huli ticket kung ticket.

[BratPAQ]

buntung hininga, many road rage would be avoided kung bago tayo magreact eh bumuntung hininga muna.

[beni23]

this kind of reminds me of this one incident i was also apprehended by a manila traffic enforcer (iba pa pala ang mmda). sa may pakaliwa sa osmena hwy. hinuli ako kasi galing ako sa 3rd lane pero gusto ko kasi dumirecho. eh hindi ko pala alam na 3 lanes ang designated for turning left at isa lang ang padirecho. hinuli ako for something about changing lanes at talo daw ako kung nabunggo ako dahil may camera daw. ayun, sabi ko di ako taga dun at binigyan ko nalang. inisip ko rin baka solid line siya kaya ako nahuli. at di ko rin talaga alam na 3 lanes ang paleft. nung napadaan ulit ako dun, 3 lanes nga pero broken line so dapat pwede parin ako magchange lanes. anong pagkakamali ko nung panahon na yun?

Haha! Muntik na rin ako mahuli dun nung bago pa lang akong driver dito sa metro manila, nung pinapara na ako kinaliwa ko na lang at nag u turn.


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[thejerk]

Huli talaga yun kapag dumiretso ka nadali na din ako dun e. siguro sa atin din dapat nagsisimula, huwag tayo maglagay huli kung huli ticket kung ticket.

di talaga ako naglalagay. yun lang time na yun dahil ayoko na mahassle kumuha pa ng lisensya. ok sana kung di na kunin lisensya ko, pero hindi eh. at hindi naman ako dumirecho. wala pa ako sa intersection at lumilipat lang ako ng lane kasi nga napansin ko yung pinakaunang lane lang ang dumidirecho. bali ang rule sa daan na yan, pag nasa 2nd-4th lane ka na di ka na pwede lumipat sa 1st?

[pop3corn]

Eto contribute ko sa road rage, bawasan ang taba sa katawan. always perspire para na-release negative energies weekly.

2nd, stop thinking two steps ahead. Stop planning or scheming na akala mo alam ka shortcut pero alam din naman pala ng lahat. at any given time, equal Lang tayo sa opportunities sa roads. getting an expensive car or big car won't help either.

just leave early and before you drive, how important is what I am gonna do today it. Can I lose it? if so up to what extent?

if things get heated up inside your head while on the road, imagine nyo na Lang nun NASA ospital kayo at puputok na veins nyo sa head, I Experienced that already! Sabi ko sa inyo, it's one of the worst anyone could experience.