No Left Turn

What happens when a Filipino driver comes across a "No Left Turn" sign and his destination requires he goes left?  Find out in this thrilling movie starring Anonymous Filipino Driver. Guaranteed to leave you on the edge of your seat.  MTRCB rated F for Failure.

Sugarcane Truck Crash

Not sure about the details of this wreck but given that even big overloaded sugarcane trucks drive too fast it's likely the driver lost control because he was speeding and wobbled over onto his side.  It has been a while since I have seen an overturned sugarcane truck but just because a sugarcane truck falls over on its side on the road and I don't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Actually looking at these photos close-up it seems as if the passenger side wheels came off.  How that would have happened is not very clear to me.  Whatever the case this is why I bring my camera everywhere I go.

About the PNP Checkpoint Last Night

Last night I went out to buy some snacks from the convenience store down the street. When I got there the place was basically deserted.  All the normal traffic was gone.  The cause was a PNP checkpoint right in font of the store.  Literally there was a PNP officer in camouflage cradling a shotgun standing in front of the entrance.

Last time I saw a PNP checkpoint was months ago and just before the checkpoint there were dozens of motorcyclists parked on the side of the highway waiting for the officers to leave.  All of them were driving illegally. And so it was last night. All the traffic had ceased because everyone is driving illegally! Think about that every time you are on the road. That motorcyclist with no helmet, carrying maybe a gas tank or a water container, with two or three others riding with him one of which might be a small child, and speeding and swerving through traffic is driving with no license and no insurance.  If you get into an accident with that person you are both screwed! And it's not just limited to motorcyclists.  This applies to drivers of all classes and vehicle types.

As I left the store I saw a jeepney with no lights on pulling away from just dropping off a passenger.  I flashed my flashlight at it and the PNP officer telling him the jeepeny does not have its lights on. He did not care. Imagine that. Driving with no headlights past a police checkpoint!

It's past time for the PNP to enforce the traffic rules and to do so more often than at random check points.  This is a problem RevGov and martial law will not solve.  

The precarious way the PNP officers and security guards cradle their guns is also a problem RevGov will not solve.  Is it really safe and appropriate to rest your arms on your rifle as it hangs about your neck or to press the barrel into the ground like it's a cane?  I don't think so.

The Shortcut

What would ease the traffic woes in the Philippines?  For starters following the rules. Being patient.  Not zigging and zagging and cutting around lines of stalled cars or turing down alleys which are crowded because everyone else is seeking a quick way out. 

One can understand private drivers doing these maneuvers but not taxis.  Isn't keeping the passengers safe a priority for taxi drivers?  You would think so.  

Here's a compilation of clips from driving in a taxi. He does not shun taking shortcuts.

The Wreck on the Highway

Saw a car wreck a few days ago. No one was hurt. A dump truck rammed a van. Not sure about the details.  Sand all over the road.  They had to call in a back hoe to clean it up. Surprised this does not happen more often seeing as how bad drivers are in the Philippines.

Driving with the hood open

This is one of the most bizarre driving habits I have seen anywhere.  And not just bizarre but plain dumb, if the reasoning behind it is what I suspect it is.

All of these taxis are driving with the hood open. 

Why?  What possible reason could there be to drive with the hood ajar? I can only think of one: to cool the engine!

Seriously can there be any other explanation? They have the hood just slightly ajar. Just popped open so air can breeze through the engine and cool it. 

Are they having that much trouble overheating?  Then there is a radiator problem that needs to be fixed immediately. Do they think it's preventative? Well that's what the radiator is for, to prevent overheating. 

Of course it could be that the hood is just broken. If so that's a problem which needs to be repaired. But it's also highly unlikely because I have seen so many taxis driving like this. The odds that all of them are afflicted with the same hood problem are not very high.

So we have jeepnies driving with Christmas lights rather than using their headlights and taxis driving with the hood open to keep the engine cool.

What's next? Stay tuned!

P.S.  I wrote the above post on March 16th.  Today, March 20th, I was riding in a taxi and I asked the driver if he ever drove with the hood just slightly open.  He said yes he did to prevent the engine from overheating.

Filipinos do not like to drive with their headlights on at night

Filipinos do not like to drive with their headlights on at night.  I have seen this time and time again with taxis, cars, trucks, jeepnies, motorcycles, tricycles, commercial trucks overloaded with sugarcane, they simply do not like to turn on their lights at night.  

Some jeepny drivers will drive with their lights on but when they come to a lighted area they switch them off and when they leave the area they turn them back on.  Some will turn them off when they stop for passengers and turn them back on when they start moving again. WHY??  To save power?  That is what the alternator is for!

Other jeepny and tricycle drivers will have their vehicle decked out in green, red, blue, white, or yellow rope lights and the whole thing will be lit up but the headlights will still remain off.  I suppose they think they are looking good but really they look garish and they are putting everyone in danger by not using their headlights.

Others install red, green, or blue headlights.  What good is that??  The point of headlights is so you can see the road and so others can see you.  If other vehicles can see you but you can't see the road in front of you then you have a problem.  Especially if your jeepny is overfilled and you got two guys standing on the back step and hanging on outside the vehicle!  

Driving with no lights on is the most reckless and infuriating driving habit because it is so dangerous and the danger is easily preventable.

TURN ON YOUR HEADLIGHTS!!!!!!!!!

Driving in the Philippines

Vehicles in the Philippines are often overloaded to the point of being dangerous.  Jeeepny's stacked with large loads of wood or metal hanging out the back.  Tricycles overloaded with bags of recyclable glass and plastic, or with bags of vegetables, or with long stalks of bamboo. Trucks packed to overflowing with sugarcane which inevitably spills out into the streets increasing the hazardous driving conditions. 

Especially with the tricycles one wonders how they mange to move with so much weight.  But they do move.  Things get done.  Just not orderly and safely.  Who cares though, right?  As long as the job gets done that's all that matters. Safety first?  Maybe third.

No seat belts. No turn signals. No headlights at night.  No waiting for the light to change. No waiting your turn in line. No safety guaranteed.