Suspending licenses: A bold strike vs bad drivers on our roads

Early this week, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) suspended the driver’s license of each of the 671 erring motorists and summoned over 1,100 motor vehicle owners who failed to properly maintain their vehicles during the random roadworthiness inspections across the country.

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LTO chief, Assistant Secretary Vigor D. Mendoza II called the move "unprecedented" and said that the agency has "never really reached this level before" but it needs to be done to keep our roads safe.

This move should be the beginning of a long-overdue and necessary action. This sweeping crackdown should be a bold declaration that the era of tolerating reckless, entitled, and often dangerous motorists will finally come to an end, hopefully, soon.

These numbers were apprehensions done only during Holy Week, a time when roads out of the cities were clogged by the exodus of people going to the provinces. Yet in one week — 574 of the suspended licenses were linked to road accidents, while 97 public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers tested positive for illegal drugs.

These are not minor infractions; they are indicators of a culture of disregard for road safety. The fact that these violations occurred in just one week makes the crackdown all the more urgent and justified.