Escudero wants stiffer penalties vs erring drivers

MANILA -- Saying that current penalties against reckless driving have not prevented accidents involving buses, Senator Francis Escudero on Wednesday called for longer prison time for erring drivers.

“Recent road tragedies show how drivers have become reckless and irresponsible in the conduct of their duties,” said Escudero, who filed a bill for stiffer penalties against drivers in July 2010.

From a maximum prison term of four years and two months, Escudero wants reckless drivers of public utility vehicles to face a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The present minimum penalty is imprisonment for one month. But Escudero wants to raise this to six months.

In case a driver's reckless imprudence results in death, the penalty will be a minimum of 12 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. (Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)