Road Rage: LTO chief advice on avoiding an SCO (and other legal issues)

By now, many (if not all) all of us have witnessed the incident on Ortigas Extension where the driver of a black Corolla Altis got into a fight with a Vios driver, and the former completely lost. Just about a minute later, the Altis driver was on the ground, bloodied and knocked out. In terms of entertainment, definitely better than a Mayweather fight.

According to the accounts on the video from the riders who filmed and witnessed the incident, it appears the Altis driver (wielding a baseball bat) allegedly provoked the Vios driver (armed only with his fists). Street justice was served, right?

Well, the story won’t end there.

The problem with fights like these is that it always ends up with someone either (1) at the hospital or (2) at a police station. The words we never want to hear from a police officer in the aftermath of any fight are: “Sa presinto ka na magpaliwanag.”

Thus begins a lengthy process where the Land Transportation Office (LTO) weighs in with a show cause order (SCO) for license suspensions/revocations, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) recommends filing of criminal charges or puts someone in jail. Of course, there’s also the expenses and recovery period in the hospital. In other words, your life could be ruined over nothing.

So, how to avoid all this over nothing, especially if you’re being pursued by a driver or rider who is clearly “raging”? We asked the chief of the LTO, Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao, for ways to avoid the hassle of an SCO and everything else.

1. Don’t get out of the car

Yes, it seems counterintuitive if you’re cornered or in traffic, but under no circumstances should you get out of your vehicle. Even if the aggressive driver punches, kicks, or smashes your car with a bat, stay inside.

2. Do take videos

Use your phone, take videos of what’s going on from inside the relative safety of your car. Build and collect evidence to help your side, and take note of any CCTVs around from private establishments or even local government CCTVs oriented towards the incident area that can help you later on.

3. Do call the Police

It goes without saying: just call the cops. Report the incident as it is happening, and hope that the response time is quick. Or if you know the location of the nearest police station or barangay hall (there’s usually a police community precinct attached to most barangays), go there directly.

What the LTO Chief is saying is to just avoid engaging the other party, no matter what. That way, you avoid an SCO and any other serious legal issues that may arise from the situation. Now, some would say that we can't just sit by and have another person smash my car with a bat, but -unfortunate as it may be- car damage can be fixed later on. 

Our advice (based on personal experience): drive away and evade if the opportunity presents itself. It’s never worth the hassle of a show-cause order or a beautifully written letter with People of the Philippines vs You being delivered to your front door.

If you are cornered, however, and if you feel you need to get down (e.g., if he smashes your window), then all bets are off, really. The problem you need to be aware of is that even if you didn’t start it, the burden of proving it will be on you.

Have something in the car to defend yourself, like a strong pepper spray. It’s certainly less hassle and will likely not be used against you in a court of law like a firearm. Or a baseball bat.