Dear Secretary Mar Roxas

I hope you will pardon the very public letter, but over the last month or so, I have been dedicating this column to writing open letters to our politicians, or anyone in power for that matter, to do something about the disgraceful state of our roads. Each week, I raise just one issue and offer a practical solution so that nobody gets overwhelmed, and also because different government officials may be more inclined to take ownership of just one different program instead of dropping the mother lode on one lap and watching them suffocate under its crushing weight.

I mean, let’s face it. The situation on our roads has reached a stage where only Chuck Norris could help; but until he replies to my email, it looks like we’ll have to split up the workload here. 

So far, I have proposed some drastic measures like one-way spikes to deter counter-flowers and red light jumpers; a dedicated bus lane on EDSA with island dividers on the innermost lanes by the MRT that are accessed by elevated walkways so that commuters would be forced to board the buses from dedicated stops (rather than current practice, which is to hail them from wherever the wind blew them in from) to creating a city ordinance to ban drunk driving, among numerous others.

I knew it was a long shot. But just when I thought I was screaming into the abyss, I get called in for a meeting by assistant secretary Lantin to see what we can effectively do about road safety as well as a message from JV Ejercito, who seems rather eager to take on the challenge of drunk driving.

This is exactly what I was hoping for. Someone to kick it off. Take the lead. Set an example. Place lives ahead of votes. I’ll update you of the progress as these are early days yet, but the reason I’m writing to you today is because while laws, ordinances, and proper enforcement are crucial to solving the chaos out there, if you really want to get to the root of the problem, you need to zero in on driver education. And this is where the LTO comes in. I would have addressed this letter to the LTO chiefs, but as this requires a nationwide effort, we need the help of the DOTC. I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry, it is a lot easier than you may think. 

Demanding a nationwide overhaul for driver’s license testing (not just for public utility drivers, but for everyone) may sound daunting at first, but the good news here is, you’re in a perfect spot to make some tough calls. Because aside from the fact that you don’t occupy an elected position—therefore the popularity of your decisions are no longer relevant to you maintaining your post—the simple fact that a driving license is a privilege and not a right, means that you can afford to be extremely strict about it and even pass on the added costs to the license holders. If you can spare a minute or two, here’s what I’m thinking.

Painful as it will be at first, I believe that each and every driver (as well as traffic enforcers) should go through a proper and comprehensive written and practical driver’s license exam before being allowed acquire or renew his or her license. We only need to do this once, then perhaps again when the driver reaches 65 or 70 years old, but after three years or so, it would be safe to say that every driver on our roads would be on the same page as far as rules are concerned, and with an effective information campaign reinforcing it, would do wonders for road courtesy and safety.

As it is now, you have people who are not even aware that they are breaking a law––like believing that the hazard light is either a forcefield that grants you immunity when you plan on doing something illegal, like say, being an obnoxious backup vehicle, counter-flowing,  illegal parking, or when you are looking for an address. It is not. It is for emergency use only––which is precisely why we need driver education to stop them from diluting its importance by switching it on every time it rains.

Because without uniformed and proper testing, you will always have that left lane hog believing that he is doing nothing wrong simply because he is driving above the minimum speed limit on the expressway, or the fool that has no concept of how a rotunda works, or the jeepney driver that squats on the road waiting for passengers while a cue longer than one outside an Apple store after a launch builds up behind them. Some of them simply don’t know any better.

Ignorance is no plea for the law, I know, but sadly, in most cases it is actually the only legitimate one the uneducated driver can make. And who’s fault is that? I’m not pointing fingers here, I’m just saying that how can we expect anyone to respect the law when many drivers are either not aware of one or guided by their own interpretation of it. And that includes the enforcers.

I’m not saying that you need to start a nationwide program tomorrow––you can start with one major area at a time––like Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo––it doesn’t matter. Just create a pilot that every major region can duplicate. 

I’m sure you’re worried about cost, but as I said, you can just pass that on. Sure you’ll get an uprising from the public transport sector screaming about the costs and the inconvenience, but if we were to be held ransom by that logic, we may as well hand out doctor’s licenses to anyone that applies for one. It’s the same principle. Because every time you put someone behind a wheel, you put our lives in their hands. 

Email [email protected].