EDITORIAL - Many no longer taking driving seriously?

Just a day before Teachers’ Day last Wednesday, a tragedy occurred after Minglanilla Central School teacher Charisma Servedo died when the motorcycle driven by her husband collided with another motorcycle in Barangay Tunghaan.

The force of the impact sent Servedo and her husband flying. She later died of her injuries while he was taken to the hospital. The driver of the other motorcycle immediately fled the scene. Perhaps he panicked because, as police later found out, he had been driving without a license.

Servedo’s loss, tragic as it was, may just spotlight something else entirely; how many don’t seem to be taking driving that seriously anymore.

Driving without a license has become one of the most common offenses among those apprehended for breaking traffic rules. Not having a license usually means that the driver or the rider was never professionally instructed about how the traffic system actually works as well as the rules that come with it. Yes, he or she was taught how to operate a vehicle but only up to that, not how to behave when in traffic.

While having a license is no guarantee that one will follow the rules of the road, at least it shows that one has been taught about them. And because the road is a place where a safe situation can turn dangerous in an instant, one must always know where the risks to safety can come from --and how to avoid become a safety risk to others themselves.

As if to enforce this point the Cebu City Transportation Office also reported a few days ago about how road accidents in Cebu City were on the rise. From an average of 200 per month, the number of vehicular accidents in Cebu City rose to 500 during the early months of this year.

The most common causes of road accidents were attributed to over-speeding, disregarding traffic signs, and driving drunk; things might usually be avoided if a driver were familiar with how the rules work.

Perhaps it is time for local government units to clamp down harder on those who don’t take driving too seriously, whether it’s in not taking formal driving classes, ignoring road signs, or driving even when under the influence of substances.

It might just make our roads easier to drive in, or even safer for commuters and pedestrians alike. It may even save lives. Like that of one teacher who didn’t live to see Teachers’ Day.