Kawasaki_Mike

I thought I would start this thread as I constantly hear comments from Expats lamenting driving here. I have been here 7 years and drive/ride everyday. I commute in Manila during the week and drive/ride every weekend for pleasure. I do not find driving here as bad as many countries around the world (try driving in Mainland China, India or Egypt for real eye opening experiences) I think the biggest mistake expats make is that they expect drivers to behave the same way as they do in the UK. That is not going to happen. People need to reset how they drive and how they expect other road users to behave. Defensive driving is a must. A large proportion of drivers here (but not all) have no idea about regulations and believe in the theory that "if I am in front of you, any action I take is ok and it is your responsibility to avoid a crash". Indicators are an option, fog lamps should be used at all times (particularly when raining, so as to ensure that those following have no vision). There are no rules against undertaking on expressways and the concept of a "fast lane" is alien to most (although stipulated by law) Last year, a law was passed making it a requirement for cars entering a roundabout to give way to those on the roundabout (the same as the UK) It will take about 50 years for this to filter down to the majority of drivers so do not expect it to happen. There seems to be two rules for driving along an A road, one is to travel as fast as possible and hope that the peasants get out of the way in time and the other is to drive as slowly as possible and cause a large Que behind you. Either is acceptable. Jeepneys and Tricycles are exempt from all regulations and are entitled to stop with out any indication and in addition can block any piece of road they wish. The use of horns is also not optional. Drivers are expected to sound the horn aggressively even if they are 10 cars behind the vehicle that has stopped. Light flashing is also mandatory although unlike most of the world they are not used to let someone else move, they are used to say "I am important and I am not going to give way to you. Very dark tints are a must, for a variety of reasons. 1. To shield passengers from the sun. 2. To ensure that no one can see you/shoot you/ to make believe that you are famous/ 3. To ensure that other road users are invisible at night, therefore allowing you to believe that you are the only vehicle on the road and can act accordingly. Traffic regulations are , by and large not enforced because there is no one to enforce them. There are no traffic Police.

These are just a few of the little issues that Expats need to understand if they want to drive/ride here. I have made a joke of them but those who have driven here will know them well. Now for the good points. Many drivers do behave politely. When riding my bike they will often move out of the way to let you through. People will let you out of a side turning in heavy traffic (try that in China and see what happens). The lack of traffic police and cameras means you are not constantly looking over your shoulder. There is a sense of freedom long lost in the UK. Anticipate the worst and you will find that you rarely get caught out by other road users actions. I hear people say that if you are not Filipino the Police will always find against you in the event of an accident. That is not true. A chap drove into the side of my car from a side road. The driver claimed it was my fault and we waited for the accident investigators. They arrived, were very professional and found in my favour quickly. They were polite and engaging and indeed I struck up a good relationship with the head investigator. Any of you thinking of riding a bike here. A few words of caution. The roads demand 100% concentration, not just for the reasons stated above but because of the state of the road surface. Medical facilities outside Manila are sketchy. There is no recovery services for big bikes, servicing and spares cost a fortune and skilled big bike mechanics are rare. Saying that I use a machine capable of 300kph most days and every weekend and have a great Filipino group of friends because of riding it. Any way, drive safely and enjoy.

If anyone has any Car/bike/ driving/regulation questions then please feel free to ask. I am a bit of a petrol head and know a fair amount about these subjects.

Stokkevn

I have driven in Jakarta, Cairo, Caracas, Jeddah and Baghdad to name a few and spent a couple of years driving Black Cab in London and the driving discipline here is far worse than any of them, I do live in the provinces which may me different to Manila.

Most of the people I know in the village have a motorbike but only about 10% have license, registration or insurance and in the last year 6 have been killed, all drunk driving at night with no lights. The death rate on the road in the Philippines is 32 times that of the UK.

I have seen a guy using a white stick renew his driving license, the eye test was no problem as the guy standing next to him was telling him what the letter was.

Certainly here the main rules are "Me!!, Me!!, Me!! First" or "Don't you know who I am" which some woman tried on me, she left with her tail between her legs as my reply was "Short and ugly but not your fault my dear" Driving discipline is akin to a bag of piglets on heroine.

ANC News did a survey of professional drivers in Manila a few years ago, showing them normal road signs and asking what they meant, the best was a woman bus driver who got 3 out of 10 right most got 1 or 0 right.

Raffin

A Philippine speciality missing from Kawasaki_Mike's post is the ubiquitous sudden U-turn. They just won't drive the often short distance to find a suitable place to execute one safely and without inconveniencing other drivers.Just annoying when there's slow moving traffic but occasionally very dangerous on the open road. One can be driving at speed and even be the only vehicle traveling on a stretch of road and then someone parked on the roadside starts a U-turn making you slam on the brakes.

Stokkevn

And when you hit the horn, they look at you with that vacant look in their eyes say "What have I done wrong?"

Philosophical 11

I haven't driven very much here yet and so far I have had no problem. Where I am, the roads are poor and traffic moves at a slowish pace. Slow, not because of congestion but because of poor roads and overloaded vehicles. I recommend the maxim to others driving here....treat every driver as an idiot. Works for me.

I was interested in the subject of road signs. What road signs? Never seen any. That's probably why when tested....no-one got more than 3 out of ten.

The most testing place I have driven is Italy. And I can see why Italians make great F1 drivers. They drive fast and if they see a vehicle in front....it is an affront to their dignity. It must be overtaken. Once they are an inch in front of you....they pull into your lane. I used to drive XJ6/12's whilst working in Naples and at about 80 - 100 mph on their motorways. But if I was doing about a ton on the outside lane of a 3 lane motorway.....there would always be a little Fiat trying to make a 4th lane, up your back side, flashing lights and an Italian shaking his fist.

Their favourite maneuver would be to overtake you in town....and then immediately park in front of you and simultaneously open their door. This results in an emergency stop and an angry Italian waving his fist at you for nearly taking off his door.

However, they are excellent drivers but their road manners let them down.

The fastest drivers I have found are the Swiss....easily outdoing the Germans on their Autobahns .

So, in the Philippines I have found it easy. Slow but treat drivers as idiots...or drunk...or spaced out.

Regards

Pete M

Stokkevn

You are right about the lack of road signs in the provinces, most were installed quite a few years ago but have subsequently been flattened by some vehicle or another. When I drive to a friend in Antique there are several villages I pass through most with speed limit signs indicating 'Max 30km/h', until you get to one village that has had the same sign for the last 10 years saying 'Min 30km/h', I have tried to comply but have only ever managed about 20km/h.

David Mashael

Very entertaining post Kawasaki Mike, I think you nailed it 100% I have only driven rental car in Davao but generally I find the driving here not too bad. I agree that its much worse in other parts of the world, Cairo springs to mind.......
I would love to bring my Harley to Philippines when we move there for good later this year or early next but the amount of import duty puts it out of the question. Did you bring your bike or buy there?
Cheers

movingout_2015

This post is about as true as it gets, it is basically the same in all of SEA. The corruption can be a bit of a F****r but its part of living in such a beautiful side of the world...
I am glad there are still forward thinking people around

Bealinehx

Yes how true Kawasaki_Mike's observations and comments are. At least the drivers in Manila are not aggressive as they are in Lagos or just plain dangerous as in Karachi.
I try and avoid driving at night around Manila, drinking and driving appears to be as it was in the UK during the 1960's and 70"s.
As a precaution I have a web cam just in case and also a pepper spray if self defence is called for.

Stokkevn

Metro have just issued the 2016 worst places in the World to drive and Philippines was not last, just 2nd to last, with Cebu voted the worst town to dive in the World.

tropicofcancer

A link:


Cebu voted world’s worst place to be a driver - Motioncars | Motioncars

Stokkevn

An Expat friend has been teaching his Filipina wife to drive over the last few months, being not sure what was included in the practical she was taught everything he could think of, she was even good in reverse hill starts. Come the driving test it all went wrong, she only managed about 5m, stalling the car twice and a few kangaroo hops before the examiner told her to reverse back to where she started. When she got out my friend told her not to worry about it, he would get a mechanic to sort out the clutch and she could have another go. She then smiled and said he need not bother because she had passed.

Raffin

Seemingly no money changed hands and the husband was there, so we can discount the obvious, but the Examiner might just be in the habit of passing all women. He just likes the reaction he gets when they've really cocked it up and sometimes he gets lucky?

If not that he thinks they're not going to drive much, will get AT, and that women, in my experience, anyway, are much less a threat on the roads than men ?

mikemike

A watched them passing drivers both genders for stating up and turning the engine off. the DOT vehicle in the testing lot had just dropped its exhaust at the manifold so there was no compression to get it going.

Everyone passed as it was no their fault

jimeve

those trke drivers have their ass up their head. and those ceres bus drivers are mental