Have you been a good boy on the road lately? If the answer is 'no', you might find yourself in a pinch if this bill passes. Introduced by the Honorable Florida P. Robles, House Bill 1499 aka the Land Transportation and Traffic Code seeks to establish a demerit system here in the Philippines. 

Designed to discipline drivers on the road, the house bill aims to promote awareness about one’s actions on the road and just like in school before, get demerits if you are caught not following traffic rules. 

Each driver will start off with 20 points. If you obey and follow the traffic rules then that number stays at 20 and you can continue enjoying, as Bong Nebrija puts it, your driving privilege. The driver will start losing points once he starts to get caught violating traffic rules and depending on the gravity of the offense.

When all 20 points are deducted, the driver shall automatically get his license revoked and be suspended from driving for a two-year period. He / She shall go through a reorientation course, theoretical, actual, physical, and psychological exams again just go get another 20 points and have their driving privileges reinstated. 

This is nothing new as there are several countries already applying this demerit system. Driver discipline is one of the biggest issues we have on our local roads. Most of the drivers, become lazy or don’t even follow the rules anymore. We also have created an 'if you can get away with it, do it' mentality to get ahead on the road. 

If this bill passes, we all have to be on our best behavior every time we're on the road -  following traffic rules, being courteous to one another, staying within the speed limits, and keeping safe on our local roads. Now wouldn’t that be a sight to behold?

demerit system driver demerits