HOUSE Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos of Ilocos Norte has filed a measure seeking to define road rage as a criminal offense, tighten penalties for aggressive and retaliatory driving, and send a clear message that public roads are not arenas for intimidation, threats and violence.
House Bill (HB) No. 8190 or the proposed “Anti Road Rage Act,” aims to draw a firm legal line between ordinary traffic violations and deliberate acts that put lives at risk.
Marcos said the measure is anchored on a basic principle of public safety: when anger spills onto the road, the consequences are rarely contained to the two people involved, and ordinary commuters, passengers, and pedestrians end up paying the price.
“We cannot allow road rages to continue on our roads, because one reckless decision can turn into a lifelong tragedy for an innocent family,” Marcos said.
Under HB 8190, road rage is defined as any intentional and aggressive act committed by a driver or occupant arising from a traffic-related incident, carried out to intimidate, threaten, harass, retaliate against, or cause harm to another road user, and creating a clear and present danger to life, limb or property.
The bill lists acts such as driving in a manner that endangers another road user, using a vehicle as a means of intimidation or pursuit, and threatening or assaulting another person in connection with a traffic encounter.
Marcos said the definition matters because it gives enforcers and prosecutors a clearer tool to address patterns that often escalate, including cases involving pursuit, obstruction, and threats of violence that begin with a traffic dispute and end in injury or death.
On penalties, the bill provides imprisonment of six months and one day to one year or a fine of P20,000 to P100,000, or both, when road rage is committed without causing damage, injury, or death.
If road rage results in property damage or physical injury, the penalty increases to imprisonment of two years and one day to four years or a fine of P100,000 to P200,000, or both.
The measure further provides that if the offense results in two or more less serious physical injuries, or a serious physical injury or death, the offender shall be prosecuted for intentional felonies under the Revised Penal Code, with the appropriate penalties imposed in their maximum period, plus an additional fine ranging from P200,000 to P500,000.
The bill also states that these penalties are without prejudice to civil liability for damages.
To address behavior at the root, the bill requires offenders, in all cases, to undergo anger management trainings as may be determined by the courts, in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Marcos said the goal is accountability that is both punitive and corrective, especially in a climate where viral road rage videos often normalize intimidation and escalate copycat behavior.
HB 8190 also sets aggravating circumstances that require maximum penalties, including cases where the offender carries, brandishes, or uses a deadly weapon, a firearm whether licensed or not, or an object made to appear as a firearm or deadly weapon, and cases involving victims who are minors, pregnant women, senior citizens, or persons with disability.
The same applies when the offender is a uniformed personnel charged with maintaining law and order.
The bill further provides immediate consequences on driving privileges: pending investigation, the driver’s license of an accused shall be immediately suspended, and upon final determination of liability, the offender shall be perpetually disqualified from obtaining or holding a driver’s license.
If the offender is found to be in possession of a firearm and holds a license to carry it, the license shall be automatically revoked, with perpetual disqualification from securing any license to carry a firearm.
Marcos said the measure reflects the party’s broader advocacy for public safety and order that ordinary Filipinos can feel in daily life, while also matching a practical demand from commuters who simply want to get home without fear of threats or violence on the road.
Under the bill, the PNP, in coordination with the MMDA, Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and Department of Justice (DOJ), shall issue implementing rules and regulations within 90 days from the law’s effectivity, with the measure taking effect 15 days after publication.
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