Filipino Drivers

@arty5987 most of drivers they don't have the good education, that's why many rude drivers

I believe it is simply lack of training, and following along with the crowd mentality, and of course NO CONSEQUENCES... The Filipinos would be the very first to FULLY comply very very quickly if there was ANY kind of consequences (ticket) ... They learn how to drive, and how to be discourteous simply by driving here.... Every time I arrive here, I am amazed at how they charge ahead of you every single time... and you will get absolutely nowhere if you do not drive the same way. When it comes to letting others in, or merge into traffic, I almost always do(except for taxis, and jeepnees... I have found them to be the absolute WORST when it comes to plowing through without regard to your presence) . I think it has become part of the culture to drive rude... organized chaos is definitely something to get used to... 

On another note... If you have ever been to a buffet here... You had better get in line early!

I would not say that they are bad drivers. Have you seen them driving abroad? They follow the rules like everyone.

The Philippines are not organized and this leads to chaos and the missing infrastructure makes it more worse.

Here in the USA roads (this is just within 3-day). Enough said... I'd look in America first..

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@rr tds Hello please note that we are not here to compare the Philippines with USA.

The links provided all referred to incidents or accidents reported in foreign (USA) media in the USA and will not benefit posters of this thread.

Regards

Bhavna

The Philippines has a literacy problem! Cause and effect is not taught in schools! There are more hours spent on praying! Religion is doing more harm than good! And the hot weather is a factor, too!

What is the "yellow box" all about?

I've been here five years, from the time the plane landed and the ride to our house I made up my mind not buy a car.

(1) There is no traffic law enforcement.

(2) Due to the high automobiles cost compared to wages, there is an abundance of two wheel vehicles adding to the problem.

Probably I've used Grab close to 100 times, I marvel at the hand and eye coordination of the drivers. They enter spaces I wouldn't dare without mishap.

What bugs me more while shopping at S&R or Landers, the shoppers walk down the aisles the same way as their driving habits.

@arty5987 Educate, legislate and police.

Educate: There is an online questionnaire to answer. In one day's driving with an instructor who not only teaches you but assesses you so your get your driving permit. ONE DAY!! No wonder people don't know how to drive as they have little practise and there is an incentive for the instructor to pass you.

Legislate: The rules are there but remind people

Police: Issue tickets for infraction of the rules.

@arty5987 Pinoy are good driver abroad...  . ..Here they drive rude and stupid  because NO CONSEQUENCE....The police ...seldom give tickets... Tickets are not too good for politicians. There is a macho mentality  here to not be polite toward others drivers. Smaller is your vehicle, less the others respect you...to have respect you have to drive a pick-up.

I do not think this forum was meant to degrade or ridicule a race of people, if you as a Guest in the Philippines have a problem with the people who own this country, then get out!  If you don't like a behavior of theirs, grin and bear it!  You after all this would not be here if you had not been invited to this country.

Americans are too hung up on structure in all aspects of life and death. I’ve seen 2 dead bodies in the street since I got here 2 years ago. Imagine a city with a population of 100k in America with out traffic lights. The murder rate would triple, Gun crazy states would pass laws legalizing loaded guns in cars.

Driving or especially riding my Motor scooter here is an adventure I enjoy everyday. America is set up so that old ladies can drive.

I do not think this forum was meant to degrade or ridicule a race of people, if you as a Guest in the Philippines have a problem with the people who own this country, then get out! If you don't like a behavior of theirs, grin and bear it! You after all this would not be here if you had not been invited to this country.
-@mikenmanila

Agree big time and it is what it is here, no different the driving in plenty of other countries, remember their systems work and while being alien to our norms doesn't mean it's wrong, honestly? Once you get into and accept the system here it works and I don't really have a problem with it aside from unmarked (most aren't) pedestrian crossings that no one takes notice of, enter at own risk.

Some times you need to be more aggressive but we mostly go with the flow, never had an accident here in 12 plus years, Australia 2 and their fault because they lost concentration.

Cheers, Steve.

Having been a Taxi driver for 2 yrs in San Francisco (in a previous life), and over the road trucker for 5 years, and a biker for many more, I have the experience of operating vehicles with a high propensity for catastrophe and coming out unscathed. And I was an aggressive (not stupid)  driver, biker, trucker when required to get out of a "situation" but always safely. I put on more miles in one year trucking than most people put on in  five. I think I'm reasonably qualified to offer why driving here in the Philippines is so much more dangerous or likely to result in even minor fender benders if not deaths.

1. practically ZERO traffic control, This includes traffic lights, stop signs, or highway infrastructure.
2. ZERO repercussions for breaking common or posted traffic laws.
3. Total lack of driver education.

I do not think this forum was meant to degrade or ridicule a race of people, if you as a Guest in the Philippines have a problem with the people who own this country, then get out! If you don't like a behavior of theirs, grin and bear it! You after all this would not be here if you had not been invited to this country.
-@mikenmanila

Agreed.

I have seen fewer accidents here(mostly motor bikes) than I ever saw in the UK where there are so many many safety laws. So their driving style here does actually work for them.

That said, I let my partner do all our driving. After many years of driving in the UK my style is not 'aggressive' enough for here !!

For many your experience maybe true.

But try driving in Manila.

Per capita death rates between the US and Philippines are close to the same at 11 and 13 respectively per 100k regardless of no helmets in most rural areas of the Philippines.

Try Norway, Switzerland, Iceland all under 2 per 100k.

Roughly two weeks ago, I'm driving my car northbound on Cebu South Road (highway) south of Argao. Ahead of me is a motorcycle cruising along, I'm not in a hurry to pass because blind curve at crest of small hill ahead. We come around the curve, and 150-200 meters ahead a southbound motorcycle is pulling on to the highway, in our lane head - on. He wants to get ahead of the southbound traffic or pack of vehicles that includes a bus slowing down to drop passengers. So what's he do? Has a head-on crash with the motorcycle ahead of me! It was just starting to rain also, and neither driver tried "dodging" or ditching. I stopped 10 meters behind them, hit my hazards to protect them as much as possible and got out to help. Innocent older guy on the motorcycle we were following was uninjured. But the bonehead was banged up. Toe likely broke, road rash on leg, small amount of road rash on forehead. We got them out of the road, and a local rescue guy called in for an ambulance.

Three months ago our next door neighbor crashed and spent numerous days in the hospital and a month plus homestay with skull fractures and stitches, also a head on motorcycle crash from people that just MUST PASS!

Two months ago, our friend we used (fiance's cousin) to pick me up with taxi in the city at Cebu airport last year crashed his motorcycle and totaled it and got banged up.

While all three were not deaths, I suspect the accident rate is higher per 100k here.

@Michaelm54 🤟🤟🤟

@Michaelm54 i agree with you most americans would not even be able to handle the chaos driving in the philippines let alone ride a motercycle.

@mikelaf  Correct... it is all about consequences...  Of course they, like anyone will follow rules if it is a risk of penalties if not.... I don't care what color, or nationality you are... if there are consequences, you follow rules... if there are not... it's the wild west... whether here in Philippines, or anywhere.

@mikelaf Correct... it is all about consequences... Of course they, like anyone will follow rules if it is a risk of penalties if not.... I don't care what color, or nationality you are... if there are consequences, you follow rules... if there are not... it's the wild west... whether here in Philippines, or anywhere.
-@Wellsfry

I agree and I do remember that Palawan1 made a post once about this subject and he included a list of driving offences in the Philippines and the penalties if caught. The fines for these offenses were so small that there is little or no deterrent at all.

About 4 years ago I got a fine of £300 and 6 points on my licence here in the UK for a motoring offence. Now since Insurers ask if a driver has received any motoring convictions in the last 5 years and asks for the details of the offence, this bumped up my annual insurance premiums each year by a considerable amount (more than double for the first 2 or 3 years). I worked out that I have paid in the region of an extra £2500 to £3000 in motor insurance costs alone so the actual £300 fine I got for the offence was next to nothing compared to the extra insurance costs. I would like to know if drivers in the Philippines have to declare motoring offences when they get insurance and how much more they would pay if they have any motoring convictions. I reckon there is probably more uninsured drivers out there too.

We also have courses here in the UK to educate bad drivers and sometimes a driver is offered one of these courses instead of receiving points. Speed awareness courses are one, for motorists caught speeding but only within a certain percentage faster than the speed limit so if you do 60 in a 40 zone no chance but if you do 47 in a 40 zone then probably.

@arty5987

Amen

as a foreigner living and driving in your country , I can only confirm this and urge myself to drive very defensively.

5 years driving here, no accidents, no tickets

touch wood

@arty5987
Amen
as a foreigner living and driving in your country , I can only confirm this and urge myself to drive very defensively.
5 years driving here, no accidents, no tickets
touch wood
-@frenschfred

Ditto 13 years driving here including Manila, said it before, try Athens where they are far more aggressive and then some.

Cheers, Steve.

@bigpearl Been to Athens, 40 years ago. Wouldn't drive there then, certainly not now!

@Cherryann01 You assume they have insurance? Based on my short 8 months here, I would think less than 20%, maybe even less than 10% have insurance. That reasoning is based on how "cheap" most Filipinos are. I mean the first thing out of their mouth is "how much"? I understand this, because basically it's a poor country. Incomes are very low, and budgeting becomes even more important. So I assume (I hope I'm way wrong) because insurance is an intangible they can't see, they don't NEED it.

@Larry Fisher

in many European countries you can’t even get a license plate before having paid your insurance

@Larry Fisher.

Athens is fine a little like here you need to get your adrenalin pumped which raises your alertness.

It's funny as I always drove in Manila for years as Ben was too scared, years of running around there on a motorbike and probably doing all the stupid crap many talk about here,,,,,, the last 4 or 5 years he drives and guess what? A far better driver than me, took some time though, still constantly reminding him of pedestrian crossings though.

Insurance (comprehensive) is reasonably priced here and as a foreigner a must have as apparently we are always wrong, had it in Oz so why not here.

Here and agree with what you say about owning a car and insurance, the later is chicken sh1t, if you can afford a car then insure and maintain it.

Cheers, Steve.

@Larry Fisher
in many European countries you can’t even get a license plate before having paid your insurance
-@frenschfred

That's probably 3rd party insurance the same as all countries including PH. Comprehensive insurance is a lot different and a choice. As a foreigner cover your derriere.

Cheers, Steve.

Many Expats are in the last trimester of their life. How good are our reflexes? Judgement, hand & eye coordination are not as good as five years ago.

Past years accident free does not equate to our advancing years, especially comparing driving conditions & driving in a foreign land.

Look at it from the Filipino point of view, their driving habits are normal to them, it's the Expats that do silly things like stopping at red lights, using two lanes on a two lane highway instead of three like Filipinos. Expats giving others the right of way instead of playing chicken and not dodging in and out of traffic to gain a few inches to their destinations.

True Bob, some points and from memory you don't drive here, yes as I am getting older I have handed the reigns 80/90% of the time to Ben but keep my hand in after 50 years behind the wheel.

Honestly and only my observations that if you get into the groove you will not have a problem and simply blend in with your blacked out windows.

Cheers, Steve.

I've been driving here almost daily for the past 2 years and it isn't bad where I live. One thing I've learned is you have to forget how it is in your home country and learn how to safely drive here. If an oncoming vehicle sees that you have room to get over he will come into your lane to pass a pedicab or parked vehicle so I just get over and let them by, no hard feelings. Here in the province the road is used for parking, drying rice and copra, funeral wakes, what have you. If the obstruction is in my lane I stop and let the oncoming traffic pass but Filipinos like to judge the distance so they are back in their lane before a collision occurs.

One thing that is odd for me is when I'm making a left turn in the barangay the oncoming traffic often stops for me. It is probably defensive driving on their part since a lot of native drivers are likely to turn in front of them and force them to stop or maybe they are just being polite. I would prefer they continue and I make my left turn when the way is clear.

A second lane is being added to the road around the island and much of it is finished. Many front doors are now no more than 1 foot from the new traffic lanes. I would never drive in the right lane pass the houses and it is probably not going to be an issue because the right lanes in those areas are jammed up with all sorts of vehicles and drying mats. They didn't really create a 4 lane road but they did relieve some of the obstacles that previously littered the left lanes. The right lane can be used in the open roads between towns but you have to watch out for poles. Apparently the budget to widen the road didn't include funds to move the poles.

I hired a driver for one day after buying my car. Honey didn't want me to drive us to Cebu City. But after telling said driver to back the hell off the car in front of him, I decided that wasn't happening again. That is my biggest pet peeve, tailgating. This is the number one cause of fender benders. When I'm driving I leave space in front of me. This also means the idiot behind me, in a line for 6 vehicles in front of me going 30kmh at best with tons of intermittent stopping is going to be the invitation for the guy behind me to try to pass me and sneak in-between, with oncoming traffic, usually big truck coming head-on. I always amazes me. Five kilometers later, said vehicle is not 30 seconds ahead of me and has done it 4 times. Usually with children in the car too!

I've been driving here almost daily for the past 2 years and it isn't bad where I live. One thing I've learned is you have to forget how it is in your home country and learn how to safely drive here. If an oncoming vehicle sees that you have room to get over he will come into your lane to pass a pedicab or parked vehicle so I just get over and let them by, no hard feelings. Here in the province the road is used for parking, drying rice and copra, funeral wakes, what have you. If the obstruction is in my lane I stop and let the oncoming traffic pass but Filipinos like to judge the distance so they are back in their lane before a collision occurs.
One thing that is odd for me is when I'm making a left turn in the barangay the oncoming traffic often stops for me. It is probably defensive driving on their part since a lot of native drivers are likely to turn in front of them and force them to stop or maybe they are just being polite. I would prefer they continue and I make my left turn when the way is clear.

A second lane is being added to the road around the island and much of it is finished. Many front doors are now no more than 1 foot from the new traffic lanes. I would never drive in the right lane pass the houses and it is probably not going to be an issue because the right lanes in those areas are jammed up with all sorts of vehicles and drying mats. They didn't really create a 4 lane road but they did relieve some of the obstacles that previously littered the left lanes. The right lane can be used in the open roads between towns but you have to watch out for poles. Apparently the budget to widen the road didn't include funds to move the poles.
-@Moon Dog

The posts in the road are not only annoying but dangerous, especially at night. I read an article about a senator questioning why these post are not being removed. Apparently they appropriated quite a bit of money for that project but very little has been done.  I read that last weekend 4 people were killed in motorcycle accidents, I think it was one province. 2 on one bike were killed when they ran into a bulldozer parked on the right lane before dawn. Another had 3 people, 2 were killed and the other hospitalized when they were hit by a bus while passing the vehicle in front of them. The bus driver was arrested. This part I don't understand when he was in his lane and the motorcycle went into his lane to pass. I know that is the law but I think it encourages doing reckless passing. I think the only thing that keeps the roads from being slaughter zones is the low speeds. I'll be keeping my head on a swivel while I'm riding my Honda Rebel 1100 for sure.

@Michaelm54 How can you justify the stupidity of drivers here with America?! It’s bad enough that there is absolutely no traffic rules here whatsoever, but that doesn’t justify the lack of intelligence and courtesy of the Filipinos driving here! Enjoy your scooter until they find you laying on the road looking like roadkill.

@arty5987 Just leave...leave the forum. You are nothing but negative mean dribble. Have you posted ANYTHING in a positive light yet? Then why are you here?

Kind of agree Larry, if you can't handle the heat, get out, wrong country and some end up bitter and twisted because they won't or can't accept the culture and norms of the country they are whining about.

It is what it is here and the good outweighs the bad same as all countries,,,, well most.

I have never had an issue driving here, perhaps because I have learnt from driving in plenty of other countries that one has to go with the flow and simply accept (when in Rome) and learn quickly.

As for your 1100cc "scooter? Cough". Stay safe as I'm sure you will.

Cheers, Steve.

I've had some close calls, mostly at night with an unlit stalled vehicle blocking the lane - not seen until the last minute. No thought to put out a light or reflective warning, or maybe no means..how many times have we seen a plant or rock being used as a warning to a stalled truck, lol. Last year I found the headlights on our car pointed way too low, apparently when they fixed her minor bump damage (not her fault) they didn't realign them - it was dangerous, especially for my aging eyes.

I will never forget the first time I was in Cebu almost a decade ago now, and rented a car to drive south on the Nautical Hwy to the south end of the island. Coming back it turned dark and I was terrified at how dark and murky everything got from the smoke from cooking fires, dust and unlit highway - with unlit vehicles and trikes swinging across the road, massive trucks from the cement plant barreling along, and pedestrians standing on the center line. I prayed to God I wouldn't kill someone. Now it's sort of second nature, lol.

As others mentioned, the concept of "right of way" is unknown. Smaller vehicles simply yield to larger. Most have no formal training of course, so the law of the jungle takes over. I have many times waved from the car for someone on a motorbike to go ahead when they would clearly have ROW in the States, only for them to just wait. The reverse applies as well, haha. I have to be careful to never assume I have it, especially on the motorbike. I find driving in the provincial areas to be fine, but Cebu City and the stretch for 50km north and south is extremely congested and dangerous.

Back in 05 we were in Taguig and my wife (fiance then) said she wanted to get a taxi and go to Mega Mall. I asked her if she knew how to get there and she said yes. So I said we'll take your bike. It was probably a 150cc scooter. So we headed off and onto C5. At that point it had been about 15 years since I'd had a bike. Anyway once off of C5 on the way we come to a big intersection. Probably 4 lanes each way but all the vehicles are spread out like it was 6 or 7 lanes at the light. So all the bikes are at the front so I head up there with the crowd. Vehicles were just filtering through the cross street traffic that had the green light, hey look, there's a gap! When we got to MM she said she had never been that fast on her bike. It made it up to about 50 kph with my fat ass on it, I laughed and said we were only going about 50 and that was as fast as it would go. But I kind of enjoyed it. The only time I'd driven in Manila before was a big old American Station Wagon on a scuba driving trip from Clark down to Batangas in 87. I really don't know how I got stuck driving that thing since I was only at Clark TDY from Yokota. At least didn't have to drive back. You really have to watch out, left, right, front, back, side, they come from every direction. And if you've seen any of the stats for new vehicles being registered it's only going to get worse.