By now, you may have already seen the viral street racing video that was recently posted in social media. Allegedly, the illegal street race occured in rural streets in Zamboanga. Even worse is the allegation that there was prize money involved between the racers.
The race didn’t end well as the racers collided with each other on one of the highway’s curves. While both appear to be OK in spite of the accident, it's clear how dangerous this activity can be, and how much worse it could have been.
Clear reckless driving
As we've mentioned before, there's no question that if those riders were caught, they'd be charged with reckless driving. Republic Act 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of the Philippines, says that the LTO chief can “revoke any driver's license issued under the provisions of this Act, and may order any such license to be delivered to him whenever he has reason to believe that the holder thereof is an improper person to operate motor vehicles, or in operating or using a motor vehicle in, or as an accessory to, the commission of any crime or act which endangers the public.”
In essense, if the LTO believes you don't deserve to have a license, because you've used it to drive recklessly or even commit a crime, they can revoke it.
We just hope that illegal street races like these won’t happen again as it endangers not only the lives of the illegal street racers themselves but also the lives of other road users. A classic example would be the story of Erika Dalmino, who was hit by one of the riders allegedly racing on Marilaque. The rider overshot a corner, then collided with Erika’s vehicle who was in the correct lane. The damages easily exceeded PhP 100,000. In the end, the rider who was allegedly racing was unable to pay for the damages and was left with a totaled motorcycle and body injuries.
