Manila, March 2 -- House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte 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) 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, according to a news release on Monday.

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 pri...