Why are Filipinos such bad drivers?

[OzeMike]

On 7/26/2019 at 7:28 AM, Tommy T. said:

Robert... I have seen that sort of action countless times. Lately, CTTMO seems to do emphasis busts of drivers doing exactly that sort of thing at a few intersections here - going straight and cutting into traffic again from turn lanes, turning left or right from across the road in exactly the wrong lane - that cheers my heart. But, sadly, that behaviour is not limited to Philippines, just more common and blatant here. Constant patrols and enforcement would settle things down a lot, I believe, if they were enacted. I think also that even the sporadic enforcement is working a bit... By the way, I think you are lucky he wasn't a senator or barangay captain...

Have you noticed that all taxis (at least here in Davao) now have CCTV cameras and monitors with memory? Many regular drivers are getting them too. I can only think it is to provide evidence for when there is a crash? Maybe those will slow down the taxi drivers, at least? (yes...I know... I said MAYBE).

 Please forgive the aside: On hwy 520 in Seattle, there is a bottleneck at a bridge. People tried to sneak in using the right HOV lane and make like they just were entering traffic from the entrance ramp that happened to be right there. State Patrol routinely busted people for that and, I don't remember the fine, but is was enough that you didn't want to get caught.

Back on topic...

I am not criticizing you, but I would advise you, Robert, to consider being a bit more cautious and just let the cheaters go, at least a little bit, even though it goes against your grain. A horn honk would not seem out of order, just not a long irritated blast. I see many incidents of road rage here and in USA. People are getting killed or seriously hurt from road rage. Tempers seem to run hot with many drivers here... So what's their hurry? Why does a five second faster trip make a difference?

Two days ago I was driving in the middle of three lanes when a jeepney started to pull out from the right lane right in front of me. I veered left and blasted the horn to warn him that I was there... He would have hit me if I had not evaded. So I kept along my way, right at the 40 kph speed limit and he came roaring up past me in the left lane then - very close to me - passed me, then did a couple of hard cuts to the right in front of me... So he won! He got in front of me and showed me he was The Man and could and would do what he wants.Fortunately he turned soon the opposite way from my direction.

I had a guy in the left turning lane next to me at a stop light. When the light changed, I gunned it, just because I was in a bad mood and I sensed that he was one of those cheaters. The guy in the left gunned it too, but probably did not expect me to not be another slow sheep? Boy, was he pissed when he had to cut in behind me. In retrospect, it was a really stupid thing for me to do and I won't repeat. I thought about road rage then and always will. 

Totally agree Tommy. The driving game here is who gets there first claims the spot. So having cut my teeth driving in London where it is the quick and the dead...I will dual with them here by driving like a filipino (when in Rome etc) and mostly beat them at their own game BUT and this a big BUT if they get their nose there first I have learned to just give way to them as the number one thing here is do not hit anything or have them hit you.

Defensive driving in the extreme and don't hit the motorbikes

Edited September 14, 2019 by OzeMike
Correction

[Arizona Kid]

23 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

 

Me no Grinch... Bah...Humbug!!! Except....maybe I can get into the spirit with a Santa helper?

I weeesh you a merry chreeeestmas! Now wheres my 5 pesos dang it?

[Tommy T.]

This does not apply to the tricycle rant thread, but is really appropriate to the discussion there - particularly regarding the "personal bubble" that Tim refers to and other related comments. I just did not want to stray off topic any more:

I see this all the time and it seems so silly. There are no other cars parked on this street within one block of this situation.

The two cars across the street were there for a party last night - usually there is nobody parked there. The red car comes by every morning to care for the yapping dog and checks out the house, I guess, because the residents are away. My driveway is on the left behind the brown painted angular gate. It's good that I don't have to go out now because the guy in the red car has blocked the way in the street by being parked so close to those across the way. Actually, I might be able to just squeeze by because my car is rather narrow - but a Fortuner or the giant Land Rover that lives further to the left? No way...

Why could he have not been a bit thoughtful and parked just five meters forward to give plenty of space for traffic? Now he risks possible car damage if someone tries to get through and doesn't quite make it. And, at worst he blocks the road?

This is no rant, maybe a bit of irritation, but mostly an example of the lack of consideration and maybe laziness I see every day on even narrower streets to not walk a few steps. And it's not just me - L agrees fully and comments to me regularly about this too... We just don't get it...

Edited February 25, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Marvin Boggs]

16 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

 

Why could he have not been a bit thoughtful and parked just five meters forward to give plenty of space for traffic? 

This is exactly the kind of thoughtless behavior that tee's me off too, Tommy.  I'd say you have every reason to rant about it.  ONE FOOT to the right is all it would take for that driver to give adequate clearance.  But he couldn't be bothered.  Its the same with almost every Jeepney, who just can't be bothered to move over a little farther when collecting passengers.  My downstairs neighbor parks his motor bike in a way that ALMOST blocks the gate, nearly every single day.  He knows what time we come home, and the size of our van (not very big).  But he can't be bothered to pull forward just ONE MORE FOOT.  Meanwhile as I painfully negotiate the small space, I'm holding up traffic on the street.  Crikey. 

When I was in southern China, I commented one time that these people drive as if they were a bunch of farmers who have just gotten their first car, and decided to figure everything out on their own.  My chinese colleague said to me, "that is exactly the case...20 years ago this was a dirt road and there were no buildings."  I wonder if some of that applies here in PH as well, which is to say, maybe 20 years ago there were just not many cars.  So there remains a motorcycle mentality everywhere you go?

[Tommy T.]

12 minutes ago, Marvin Boggs said:

My chinese colleague said to me, "that is exactly the case...20 years ago this was a dirt road and there were no buildings."

And, for some reason, when roads around here were built, they were made for small cars, not the monsters that are favoured by so many here these days. I can barely squeeze my compact SUV down some of these roads. And when a tricycle parks on one side and then the motorcycle on the other so he can buy his snack at the Sari Sari directly across the street, one of them eventually has to move anyway.... I still don't get it.

It will be impossible to widen most roads because fences and homes of private individuals are located right up to the roadways and I am sure they will never sell out or concede. That's one of the reasons I prefer a smaller car. I use the motorcycle only rarely because now I am afraid of driving it in the nutso traffic.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

By the way... do you have a photo of one of those tuk tuks you referred to in your motorcycle rant thread?

[Marvin Boggs]

Thats the reason we bought a little van, it is very narrow.  I kind of grin internally as I zip around the Fortuners and squeeze between tricycles.  We had very much wanted a Nissan Patrol--fortunately could not afford a car at first and had to spend several months getting around the hard way, but it forced me to observe how dense and narrow many of the streets were.  Its not too different than old Europe in that sense, or Macau, etc.  

[Tommy T.]

But, at least in Italy and France and other places, they drive Fiats, and other small cars in their narrow streets...

[Marvin Boggs]

8 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

By the way... do you have a photo of one of those tuk tuks you referred to in your motorcycle rant thread?

I'll put one in the other thread

 

[Heeb]

We have a carport in our driveway with enough space behind it for another car, there's some vacation rental homes on the same street that we live on and sure enough someone will park in that spot which is on our property and block our vehicle in, I tried parking the car further back on Fridays but they will parallel park in the street behind it and I'm still blocked in. The Filipino doesn't consider anything beyond their own needs, that's the problem.