EDITORIAL — Spitting road rage

You have probably seen this video circulating online of a road rage incident in Talisay City; a motorcycle rider gets upset at a bus drive, overtakes then parks his motorcycle directly in front of the bus to stop it, then gets into the bus to spit at the driver.

What led to the dispute between the motorcycle rider and the bus driver was not recorded, but everything the rider did after it is; including his dangerous maneuver in stopping in the middle of the road, up to his spitting at the bus driver, eyes aflame, nostrils flaring, and lips downturned and all.

To get to the bottom of the matter, the Land Transportation Office has issued a show cause order against the rider, but also asked him and the bus driver to both surrender their licenses while awaiting preventive suspension.

Because the LTO is still looking into the incident we won’t say yet who was in the right or in the wrong regarding what led to the traffic altercation. However, we can say with certainty that at least for the rider, that was not how someone civilized ought to act in the road.

Again, the right thing to do when placed in a situation where you feel like striking out against someone, especially someone driving a vehicle like you are, is to keep your cool.

Some drivers or riders need to realize that they share the road with other drivers or riders; the road was not made for them alone. Some drivers or riders also need to realize that cameras are almost always around these days, and any rash action they do can be recorded, quickly spread, and immortalized on the internet.

Some drivers or riders also need to realize that their actions can deem them unworthy of a driver license --a privilege that can be taken away from them the moment they become unworthy of it-- and they may lose their driving privileges forever.

As with many road ragers who have been penalized for being violent or even jailed for doing worse in the past, they always say they regret giving in to a moment of poor judgment.