New Drunk Driving Law Coming To The Philippines

Everybody is aware that certain things about The Philippines can be anachronistic or even downright other-worldly, but this article entitled "Drunk Driving to Become Illegal in Philippines" dropped my jaw to an unprecedented depth.

I was especially gobsmacked by the statement of Then-President-Now-Congresswoman Gloria Arroyo, who is sponsoring the bill to make drunk driving illegal: "The World Health Organization (WHO) and various studies showed that alcohol intake, depending on the level of intoxication, results in impairment which increases the likelihood of a crash since it produces poor judgment, decreased reaction time, lower vigilance and decreased visual acuity."

That's apparently not-so-common knowledge here?

Actually, the article states, there already is a law on the books about drunk driving but "the law is insufficient in defining what constitutes drunk driving."

Well, since I've never actually seen a traffic stop in The Philippines (only roadblocks that you can see coming for miles due to all of the unregistered trucks pulled over to the side of the road in avoidance), I don't think that DWI charges will become too common unless the intoxicated person causes an accident.

And that's too bad too: Just like in Thailand (moreso in Thailand), drunk driving is a problem here, and it causes an inordinate amount of injuries and deaths. In fact, just last week, my friends Dave and Jessa lost two friends — a young couple just out of their teens — to drunk driving.