THE death of four young men in what police suspected to be caused by illegal drag racing along Marcos Highway in Antipolo City is a wake-up call for the government to consider an honest-to-goodness implementation of the law governing road safety.
For one, drag racing is illegal as it puts lives in grave danger on top of it being stupid amid skyrocketing prices of petroleum products.
But as it is, there are people who’d rather take the risk than abide by what appears to be a toothless law that imposes meager fines.
While Congress has taken action against illegal street racers, efforts of the implementing agencies seemed short and unable to put an end to drag racing activities on public roads across the Philippines.
Drag racing, which involves two or more private motor vehicles driven side by side at accelerating speeds to outdo each other, is also a form of gambling – illegal gambling to be exact.
On top of fines, the law prescribes a maximum of one year jail time – a conviction that could as well be decimated by pleading guilty and applying for probation. To cut the long story short, they won’t be spending a day behind bars.
Drag racing is something that only the rich can afford since the poor do not have the financial capability to buy a car. Moreover, there are other monetary considerations which include the cost of loading up the engine, refurbishing its design, frequent tire changes, the cost of oil and gasoline, etcetera.
Here’s the catch. Since the enforcement of the law has become a dismal failure, why not provide these brats a controlled track where they can race to death without endangering other people?
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