If I'm the LTO Chief

We eat bad news for breakfast. It usually is the case. A quick glance on the news ticker is enough to make one's day the worst. I'm one of them. I feel affected more than I should be, or how I think I am. The moment I turn off the tv and go outside, it's when reality sinks in. Most bad news has little direct effect on me. Though some might have big ones later. But the 2 which has the impact the moment I step out of the doorways are the weather news and traffic report. We can't control the weather. We can only prepare for it. Forecasts are given but still, it can always change. But it's never an excuse not to bring an umbrella when the news says that there will be an incoming storm. It's critical to know what the weather might be the next day.

On the other hand, the traffic. Same with the weather, we don't have power about it. Maybe we have. A little. About how we drive or how early we go up if we are commuting. But it's not that different from what we can do about the climate situation. The way we drive almost have the same effect when we carry boots or umbrellas during the rainy days. Doing either can protect us only to a certain extent. But luckily, unlike the weather, there are powerful people that can work and decide to protect us from the hardships of daily road jam. Whether they are using the power properly or not, that is the question.

I guess, it's high time for the LTO authorities to utilize the power of multimedia. It's very difficult to fix everything but they can definitely focus one by one. But they can learn on how other people do things to promote awareness and discipline. And the good thing here is that, many will surely follow and go with them since everyone is affected with this thing one way or another. And if I have my way, here's what I will do:

1.  Use funds for TV advertisements to focus on the usually neglected but hazardous traffic violations that most drivers commit. Focus on one each week. 

2. Coordinate with the traffic enforcement bodies and let them be on full alert for the violators of the one featured on the said advertisement. 

3. Increase the penalties for the focused violation for that week.

4. The following week will focus on the next traffic violation.

5. Do it for at least three months having been able to cover at least 12 traffic rules that people  neglect, that might be enough to instill some understanding and discipline on commuters and enforcers.

6. There will surely be direct impact felt by everyone if implemented properly. And if it does have, people will notice it and Pavlovian studies will tell that when something good is happening, people will continue to do the same thing as response, hoping for the same results to happen.

Even the daily news include traffic jams on their headline. That's how big the problem is. And we all know it. We all talk about discipline. But discipline won't take us anywhere if we don't know the rules. A disciplined baseball player can't win games in basketball. And vice versa. So let's all get back to the basic.