Roadethic

Public Bus fell from 40 feet Skyway, Driver and a Passenger Killed

2011-07-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

A public bus had an accident earlier today when it fell from the 40 feet Skyway or elevated highway. This happened while the city is experiencing Typhoon Juaning. The Dimple Star Transport bus was traveling southbound of the Skyway in Bicutan-Sucat. The bus was said to hit the railings of the skyway and after few meters fell in front of the Schinkin Company.

Officials say that the bus was carrying 7 people, including the driver and conductor. The driver and a passenger died after being in critical condition and the conductor and other passengers suffered injuries. The conductor said that the driver was driving normally when a strong wind swayed the bus causing the driver to lose control.

The skyway CCTV cameras captured the whole thing and currently investigating the incident. Luckily the bus did not hurt anyone when it fell from the skyway. The MMDA was quick to respond and cleared the bus wreckage.

Fire Near Blumentritt Station Stops LRT Operations

2011-05-27T02:48:00.000-07:00

Half of Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 was temporarily suspended this Friday morning because of a fire incident in a residential area near LRT Blumentritt station in Manila. They suspended operations from Carriedo station to Roosevelt station. The fire was on a residential house at Rizal Avenue corner Bulacan Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

A LRTA spokesperson said "We had to limit our operation from Baclaran to Central stations starting 9:20 a.m. since the fire made Blumentritt Station impassable to trains and the stations became too hot to accommodate commuters. But we resumed full operation at exactly 10:17 a.m." He also added that the fire threatened the LRT 1’s power supply rectifier located near Blumentritt station.

This incident came just a day before the scheduled LRT Line 1 suspension of operations from Abad Santos to Roosevelt stations.

LRT Line 1 Closed or Suspended Until Monday

2011-05-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

Six stations of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 will be closed until monday this coming weekend. A spokesperson of the LRT Authority (LRTA) said that Six stations of LRT Line 1 will not be operational during this coming Saturday (May 28) and Sunday (May 29) and will resume operations on Monday (May 30). This is because of the integration and fine-tuning of the rail system’s signaling system between the original LRT line-1 (Baclaran to Monumento) and the LRT Line-1 north extension (Balintawak to Roosevelt). The original line uses Siemens signaling system while the north extension utilizes a Tewet brand.

The stations that will be operational on the weekend is from Baclaran in Pasay to Blumentritt in Manila. While Abad Santos, R. Papa, 5th Avenue, Monumento, Balintawak and Roosevelt stations will be temporarily suspended. Thousands of commuters are to be affected and millions of pesos lost in revenue with this temporary closures. Hopefully there will be no delays.

Who's Driver is at Fault in the AJ Perez Accident?

2011-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

This AJ Perez accident is been on the news for days now. The accident was between a PARTAS bus and an ABS-CBN van resulting to the death of actor AJ Perez who was only 18 years old. And to my surprise none of the top news networks seemed to talk about who's driver is to blame. Days after the accident, they show little information on what really happened. ABS-CBN showed a animated reenactment of the accident but unusually shows it just 2 to 3 seconds. I don't what's the reason for this sort of whitewash or are they just not jumping into conclusion yet? It's just unusual for the two big news network to not report on who's to blame. We also always see these kind of accidents on the news and usually they interview the two drivers and each blaming the other.

Base on some investigation I read and some images I saw on TV, this is what I came up with. This is not the official sketch of the Police. I'm just showing what I understood about the accident. They said that the two ABS-CBN vans in convoy was overtaking a vegetable truck. While the first van was able to successfully overtake, the second van was not able to. Unfortunately it was hit by an approaching PARTAS passenger bus before it could get back to its lane. This happened along McArthur highway in Barangay San Julian, Tarlac, we can assume that the vehicles there are fast.

Any good driver would say that the ABS-CBN van driver is at fault. He clearly was not able to estimate properly while overtaking. In tagalog "alanganin ang pagovertake niya." I'm not saying that the bus driver didn't do anything wrong. We all know that bus drivers here don't really care about approaching vehicles. But technically the responsibility of looking ahead to estimate the approaching vehicles lies with the one who is overtaking. Lots of drivers do this reckless overtaking. I usually see taxi and jeeps overtaking recklessly and the opposite lane would avoid them rather than them slowing down and going back to their lane.
Anyway, the car driving the ABS-CBN van was recently sued by ABS-CBN according to Bong Osorio, ABS-CBN Corp. head of Corporate Communications. He said that the driver is not an employee of ABS-CBN but an employee of Southbend Express Services, Inc., a service contractor of ABS-CBN. The driver is sued for reckless imprudence that caused the death of AJ Perez and injured 4 others.

No Number Coding in Makati on Holy Week?

2011-04-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

MMDA announced that the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or Number Coding Scheme is going to be lifted or suspended from Holy Tuesday (April 19) to Good Friday (April 22). But Makati is the only city that WILL NOT lift the number coding. Bad news for people living or working in Makati. Some people may had been confused.

Even in the MMDA website, it only stated that the number coding scheme will be lifted but failed to mention the exclusion of Makati. I'm sure many motorists who's cars fall under the number coding for Tuesday and Wednesday will be affected. Makati should have coordinated with the MMDA so that proper announcements could have been done.

Makati Public Safety chief Hermenegildo San Miguel said that "As a policy, Makati lifts the number coding scheme on official holidays and weekends only." Tuesday and Wednesday is considered regular working days so this means that the number coding or UVVRP in Makati city will still be enforced from April 19 to 20. Which will not allow vehicles with ending plate numbers 3 and 4 on Tuesday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and ending plate numbers 5 and 6 on Wednesday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are no window hours in Makati City.

Meanwhile MMDA advises motorists to avoid EDSA and use alternate routes like the christmas lanes or Mabuhay lanes. In the MMDA website they suggested these alternate routes during Holy Week:

    North Luzon
    - Take C-5 Road to QMC then right to Visayas Avenue, then left to Congressional Ave., then right to Mindanao Avenue, then take Mindanao-NLEX link to destination, and vice versa;
    - Take C-5 to QMC then right to North Avenue, right to Mindanao Avenue, then the Mindanao-NLEX link to destination

    South Luzon
    Rizal province:
    - from Bicutan interchange take DR A. Santos Avenue then straight ahead to C-6 to destination, and vice versa
    Cavite:
    - from South Superhighway take South Station Exit then straight ahead and take Daang Hari to destination
    Tagaytay:
    - from South Superhighway take Sta. Rosa Exit or Greenfield Exit

Check out the latest updates (December 2010) for the Number Coding Scheme or UVVRP.

Source: www.mmda.gov.ph ; www.abs-cbnnews.com

Updated MMDA Color/Number Coding Scheme

2011-04-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

MMDA The Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or Color/Number Coding Scheme Guidelines Updated December 20, 2010

UVVRP General Rule:
- Private and Public Utility Vehicles cannot roam the streets on weekdays from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

- Window Hours for Private Vehicles are observed from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

- Number coding is not implemented weekends and holidays.

- Plate ending 1 and 2 Monday

- Plate ending 3 and 4 Tuesday

- Plate ending 5 and 6 Wednesday

- Plate ending 7 and 8 Thursday

- Plate ending 9 and 0 Friday

UVVRP Guidelines and Conditions:

-Only Makati City and Las Piñas City are the only cities that implements the7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. color/number coding scheme without the window hours.

-Marikina City, Muntinlupa City, and Parañaque City do not implement the number coding.

-Taguig City also does not implement the Number Coding scheme, but the number coding is enforced on the National Roads within the city. Examples are C5, East Service Road and Manuel L. Quezon.

-Pasig City implements the7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. color/number coding scheme but observes window hours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

-Pasay City implements the number coding but with exceptions with the following roads: Ninoy Aquino Avenue, MIA Road, Domestic Road, Airport Road, Sales Road, and portions of Buendia.

-The number coding scheme is in effect in the following cities: Caloocan City, Mandaluyong City, Manila City, Malabon City, Navotas City, Pateros City, Parts of Pasay City, Quezon City, San Juan City, and Valenzuela City. The window hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. is observed.

-The following Roads implements the Number Coding but observes window hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m regardless of the city: Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), Circumferential Road 5 (C5), Diosdado Macapagal Avenue, and Roxas Boulevard

All Public Utility Buses (City and Provincial) are now covered under the Number Coding Scheme, with no Window Hours.

Motorcycles are exempted from the number coding scheme.

Penalty: Confiscation of driver's license or given a ticket with a fine of P300.00. The penalty will depend on what city you are in.

For more information regarding this matter please call MMDA Metrobase at 882-4151 to 77 local 213 and 255 or the MMDA hotline 136.

Source: mmda.gov.ph

Metro Manila Traffic Problems

2010-12-06T18:34:00.001-08:00

What is pro-ac·tive? Be definition it means acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty or tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events. This is the attitude that the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) and PNP(Philippine National Police) should have.

I was curious of the word when Lila Delima said in an interview that the police should be pro-active. And after seeing every possible definition, I said to myself, our traffic officials are not pro-active. If you drive in metro manila, you would know what i mean.

Metro Manila have lots of uneducated, unlicensed and reckless drivers. But does the MMDA and PNP do anything about it? I'll give you scenarios and let us see.

Pedicab/tricycle counterflowed

Pedicab/tricycle beats a red light

Pedicab/tricycle swerves in front of you

Public jeepneys and buses beats a red light

Public jeepneys and buses stops in the middle of the road

Public jeepneys and buses swerves from left side to right side of a 4 lane road

You see these things happen while the MMDA and PNP is around. Yet they do nothing. but if a private vehicle does these violations, things would be different. MMDA and PNP are bias to private vehicles. Either they are scared of these violators in the public sector or they are being paid. Either way this is the main causes of traffic jams in Metro Manila.

This is where pro-active should be practiced. If MMDA and PNP are pro-active and enforce the law and traffic rules to all drivers and vehicles, no matter how small, big, poor, rich, powerful they are, traffic would be smoother in metro manila. Is this too much ask?

Kuliglig or Motorized Pedicabs Banned in Main Roads

2010-12-06T18:02:00.001-08:00

Mayor Alfredo Lim banned the "kuligligs" (motorized pedicabs/tricycle) from major streets. These "kuligligs" has been a traffic problem of Manila since they began building them. Drivers of these vehicles do not have licenses, insurance or driving etiquette.

Some say why not register it in the LTO just like with the Jeepneys. These kind of vehicle is not recognized by the Land Transportation Office. They refuse to register the kuliglig because it uses a boat motor and is against the provision of the Clean Air Act.

This is a brave move by Mayor Lim. The number of kuligligs on streets is rising and now around

10,000. They violate traffic rules by resorting to counterflows and bullying other motorists. But this is not the root of the problem. This happened because traffic officials in the MMDA or PNP do not strictly implement the traffic rules. They are bias to private vehicles. If they see a "kuliglig", pedicab, tricycle or jeepneys making counterflows, not following road signs and stop lights, they look the other way around. Some say they are paid "kotong" and some say they are scared of the drivers. In any case, the traffic officials are at fault and should change.

Traffic officials should be PRO-ACTIVE. Even the slightest traffic violation should be corrected no matter how poor or how small the violator is. If they do this, that's when people learn to follow the traffic rules.

The kuliglig drivers rallied in Manila on Wednesday and resulted to violence. Here's what Mayor Lim has to say about the incident.

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Source: newsinfo.inquirer.net, www.mb.com.ph

Image by Candice L. Reyes

Number Coding Causes Bus Strike

2010-11-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Local bus operators made good on their threat to keep their buses from plying their regular routes to protest the implementation of the number coding scheme for all passenger buses, including provincial buses.

Under the number coding scheme, buses are banned on EDSA that have license plates ending in 1 and 2 on Mondays; 3 and 4 on Tuesdays; 5 and 6 on Wednesdays; 7 and 8 on Thursdays, and, 9 and 0 on Fridays.The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said around 13,000 provincial and city buses will be affected by the scheme, 1,000 of them on a daily basis.

President Homer Mercado of the South Luzon Bus Operators Association said the MMDA should just issue special cards that would cut by 20% the number of buses plying EDSA. As if that would work? Special cards are prone to corruptions. Unlike Number coding which can be monitored not only by the police and MMDA but also by the public.

I hope that the government would not give in to this strike and continue to put the public's safety first. Most bus drivers in EDSA are reckless and careless about the safety of us commuters. Yes less bus means less space, but less bus also means faster transportation and less traffic. Less time for buses to return to terminals. If you think about it, number coding on buses makes sense right?

Why Bus Number Coding is being re-implemented?

Soruce: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Image: article.wn.com

Are Makati's Smoke-Belching Checkpoints Legal?

2010-10-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

Makati ASBU and its officers are full of crap. They have preferences when they apprehend vehicles on their Smoke-Belching check points. They flag down only diesel vehicles, specially delivery aluminum closed vans, L-300s, L-200s. I know this is because delivery vans are the most likely offenders. But don't you think its unfair? They are unfair in so many ways.

They are bias and don't dare flag down Pajeros, Patrols (Maybe the driver's politician), PUJs and PUBs (Most likely paid them). The people administering the emission tests are not

even qualified. They push the pedal to quickly, which is not the proper way. They don't clean the hose of the emission test machines.

Their aim is not to clean the streets of smoke belchers, but to have a permit to be a smoke belcher! Why and how? I was apprehended. By the way, their check-point didn't even have a signboard to inform the public they're with ASBU. And after testing, they told me my car emits way above of the legal limit, which is 2.50. They remove my plates and tells me to go to their office to pay the fine and clean my exhausts.

So I went to fix the problem and went to Makati near the fire department. I pay the fine of Php1,000 and to my surprise they didn't even bother checking my car again. They just gave me a certificate that gives me immunity for 3 months from smoke-belching checkpoints in Makati. See what I mean? You can get a certificate for Php600 (not sure) and be able to legally smoke belch in Makati. What a system they have! What can you say about that? Only in Makati?

image via http://wn.com/

Bus Number Coding to be Reimplemented, Odd-Even Scheme Rejected

2010-10-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

In 2004, former President Gloria Arroyo ordered the removal of city buses from the number-coding scheme, which was introduced in 1995. Now, coding is set to be reapplied to buses on Edsa and other major roads in the National Capital Region, according to the Metro Manila Development Authority(MMDA). Which is a great news for us motorists. Starting on November 15, public utility buses in Metro Manila will have to comply with a number coding scheme

The mayors who form the Metro Manila Council agreed to implement the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or Number Coding on an "experimental basis". However the proposal for the re-implementation of the Odd-Even Scheme

along along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) was rejected.

"We will continue to enhance traffic enforcement, and we ask for the public's cooperation in the days ahead by observing road discipline and courtesy," Tolentino said.

According to studies even under the current number coding scheme, EDSA's private and public lanes have breached their maximum capacity. 3,800 buses ply EDSA when there should only be 1,600 buses.

Present during the meeting were:

# Mayors Herbert Bautista of Quezon City;

# Sherwin Gatchalian of Valenzuela;

# Enrico Echeverri of Caloocan;

# John Rey Tiangco of Navotas;

# Del De Guzman of Marikina City;

# Benhur Abalos of Mandaluyong;

# Alfredo Lim of Manila, and

# Jaime Medina of the Municipality of Pateros.

Update: First day of Number Coding implementation on buses causes bus strike

Source: www.gmanews.tv

MMDA to Re-implement Anti-Littering Law

2010-10-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Metro Manila Mayors decided to re-implement the Anti-Littering Law of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. Police will now have the power to start ticketing violators of the said law next week, September 16, 2010.

MMDA Regulation Number 96-009 as amended by MMDA Regulation Number 99-006 or the Anti-Littering Law, approved by the Metro Manila Council (MMC) in August 1996, prohibits

littering, dumping, and throwing of garbage or any kind of waste in open or public places. Around P12 million was collected from administrative fines from January 1999 to July 2002. The implementation of the law was suspended in 2003 after it was overtaken by more pressing priority programs of the authority.

Among the mayors who strongly supported the law, Makati Mayor Erwin Binay, Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, Muntinlupa Mayor Aldrin San Pedro, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, and other representatives.

Under the law, violators are issued an Environmental Violation Receipt (EVR). Environmental police will be deployed in the metropolis to penalize violators of the Anti-Littering Law. Administrative Fines ranging from P500 to P1,000 and community service for those who cannot afford to pay. Violators with unsettled records will not be able to get a clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation. These penalties are great and I think will be very effective. Violators can now really feel the weight of the fines and would think twice before littering again.

This will be great news to all drivers. Garbage on roads here in the Philippines is one of the problems causing traffic. Sometimes the garbage from squatters areas are consuming one lane of a two lane road. Hopefully this would help.

Playing Chicken with a 10 Wheeler Truck

2010-04-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

The picture wants you to say ouch right? I was lucky again to get away with just cuts. Who caused such damage? A 10-wheeler truck! This was not even a direct hit, just hit the truck a few centimeters. That's how strong the force of a 10-wheeler truck. I was stupid to play chicken with such a huge vehicle. And the damn truck didn't even stop. After it hit my service van it just drove fast away. I was so pissed that instead of looking at its plate numbers, I tried so hard to move the van so I can catch that damn 10-wheeler truck. But my gears were jammed. So again instead of looking at its plates, I went out of the van

, shouted and cursed my lungs out! That's how pissed I am. Who was at fault? You be the judge.

First I'll explain what I meant about playing chicken with a truck. It is played by choosing a long straight road and starting two very fast cars towards each other from opposite ends. Each car is expected to keep the wheels straight. As they approach each other, mutual destruction becomes more and more imminent. If one of them swerves before the other, the other, as he passes, shouts 'Chicken!', and the one who has swerved is the Chicken or loser. That's how I played it, which was stupid. With a truck you always lose. Learned that the hard way.

I was approaching a left turn then a saw a 10-wheeler truck overtaking some jeepneys on the opposite lane. We all know that jeepneys love to stop in corners. The truck was recklessly overtaking the jeepneys very fast and instead of going out of the way I just stopped and held my spot. I thought that stupid truck who was overtaking recklessly would stop, clearly what he was doing was wrong and I know my position is right so why would I move right? Do I didn't.

I notice that the jeepneys didn't let the truck passed through. But shockingly the struck still pushed itself disregarding that I was in front of it on full stop. So he turned to the right in the last minute and I honked my horn but sadly I was dragged. My car turned 90 degrees to the left. Dragging my door like a canned sardine.But of course this isn't my worst accident.

LESSON: When a huge vehicle or any vehicle is overtaking on the left lane, Deflect or turn away form them and DO NOT go straight. By going straight you're playing chicken and risking your life and others on the car. You'll never know when and where you can encounter drivers that are reckless and have no road ethics.

Open Intersection: Who Goes First?

2010-04-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

How can we know who goes first in an intersection? Who has the right to go first? When we approach an intersection and see a car coming we ask ourselves "Would I go first or let them pass?" Considering that there is no stoplights and any other traffic signals, you would never know who

should go first. An intersection is like a ball game. Anything can happen. So you should always be on you guard.

There is only one goal in crossing an intersection, that is to cross the street safely. So we should take every precaution every time we approach an intersection. Where you are a pedestrian, car, motorcycle, bicycle or any vehicle, you should be always aware of the surrounding. Here are some simple tips when crossing an intersection without traffic signals.

1) Always slow down. Put your foot on the break and slowly cross the intersection.

2) Watch every direction for approaching vehicles and Estimate how fast they are approaching.

3) If for your estimate they are too close then by all means slow down. Do not accelerate! This is the common mistake of people. They slow down then accelerate so fast at the end. This causes other cars to panic and caught off guard.

4) Always accelerate slowly out of an intersection.

5) If you see a car already at the middle of the intersection. Please just stop. Do not work your way around the car. That's just being selfish. Clearly he was passed the intersection first so you have to stop to let him pass. I always see this happen.

6) If a car for whatever reason shows any signs that it won't let you pass,like honking its horn or flashing headlights, not caring for who's right and who's wrong, just stop. Miscommunication is dangerous on an intersection. So if a car shows a signal then just slow down and stop.

With these tips in mind, you will be safer. Too nice? Maybe. But at least you did your part.

Jaywalking, Old Habits Die Hard

2010-04-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

How depressing to see that jaywalking in metro manila was a problem before, and still a problem now. How hard the government tries to fix the problem, it just keeps coming back. Read a short blog about the efforts of Mayor Antonio Villegas, Mayor of Manila that time. what he did was...

From http://video48.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

When I saw this amusing photo on the front page of The Manila Times circa 1965, I was reminded of Señor Enrique’s blog entry titled “The Jolly Jaywalkers of Manila.” They're really a bunch of jolly jaywalkers (lol)!!!

Jaywalking has been always been a problem in urban cities like Manila. You may call it a way and 'walk' of life of most Filipinos who defied simple sign as "No Pedestrian Crossing Allowed" and risking their limbs, arms and possibly their life.

In 1965, then Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas waged a campaign against jaywalkers to restore order in main city streets.

The Manila Times/ 1965

Bring Back the Jaywalker's National Anthem Punishment

2010-04-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

I remembered when there was a drive to eradicate jaywalking in Metro Manila. There were so many sign boards indicating "No Jaywalking", "May Multa....". There was an improvement but I don't know what happened and it stopped. Read an article in 2000 and wish to share and hope that they bring back the drive to improve metro Manila and totally remove jaywalking. Here's the article from BBC asia pacific:

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/636804.stm

Filipino jaywalkers shamed with anthem

Traffic police in a congested suburb of the Philippines capital, Manila, have adopted an unusual solution to the problem of jaywalking in their neighbourhood. Those who cross the streets in Kalookan at the wrong places are now punished on the spot by being made to sing the national anthem in public.

We will never again cross a street except at a pedestrian crossing.

Jaywalkers' pledge

A new by-law passed by the local government gives offenders two choices: either pay a fine of 50 pesos (just over $1) or sing the national anthem with their hand on their heart. "There are many who don't follow the rules," said traffic officer, Genlyn Cabido.
But she was optimistic about the effectiveness of the new form of punishment.
"I think this will be effective because they don't like to get a ticket and pay the fine, and the majority get embarrassed when they are made to sing in public," she said.

Patriotic jaywalkers
Police started applying the law last Friday when 150 jaywalkers were caught.
After singing the national anthem, the offenders were made to recite a pledge saying: "I will never again cross a street except at a pedestrian crossing."

Jaywalking is a serious problem in Manila

Some were bold enough to sing solo, but most tried to hide their embarrassment and ignorance of the anthem by singing in chorus with other offenders.

One of the jaywalkers who was caught said: "I chose to sing because it's free."

Another repentant offender said: "I sang so I could leave more quickly, but had I known [jaywalking] was not allowed, I wouldn't have done it."

Public unconvinced

A survey on a local radio station has indicated that most people object to the national anthem being used in punishing jaywalkers.

The streets of Manila are usually very busy, and traffic police already find it difficult maintaining order at road intersections.

Jaywalking has for a long time been classified as an offence, and 'No Jaywalking' signs have been erected on many streets, but most pedestrians ignore them.

With thousands of people breaking the rule, it is difficult to catch jaywalkers - but police say they are doing their best to apprehend all offenders.

Flashing Headlights to Signal Other Cars

2010-04-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

Flashing headlights is common in the Philippines. Specially in intersections were there's no stoplight. We usually use to flash our headlights either to signal the other car that we are letting them pass first or we want to pass first. Either is correct. The misconception of drivers is that flashing headlights means only one thing, when in fact it can mean numerous things. This misconception can lead to accidents and arguments. What does it really mean?

Flashing headlights can broadcast any number of different messages:

1) You go first

2) I'm over here

3) I want to come through first

4) Your lights are too bright

5) Thank you

And you can probably think of more. The actual meaning of any signal or message that is sent, really is in the way that the signal or message is received - the understanding of the meaning is not always the same as that meant by the person sending the message.

Some countries apply these two rules as Highway Codes:

1) Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.

2) Never assume that flashing headlights is a signal inviting you to proceed. Use your own judgement and proceed carefully.

So the next time you need to communicate with other cars, rather than flashing your headlights, why not just slow down or stop and see what happens. It takes a longer time but at least its safer.

Proper Way of Changing Road Lanes in an Ongoing Traffic

2010-04-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

Changing road lanes is easy, but can you do it while not pissing off the other cars? First always stay on your lane. Pay attention and go straight. Sometimes drivers don't notice that their car is not going straight. Now with the basics. Use your signal lights, you need to inform cars around you what you are planning to do. Its like being in a team. You have to communicate with your teammates in order to win, in this case going to the other lane. But using your signal lights is not enough, you also have to check your side mirrors. You should estimate how fast the car on your side mirror is traveling. One mistake is some drivers look at the mirror and see a car so far behind so they make the turn but surprised that the car is beside them already when taking the turn. So take into consideration

the speed of the cars behind you.

After signaling and checking side mirror you can make your turn. But the rear of your car should always be few meters away from the other car. Take for example the image. Car A is changing lanes, when car A turns, there was no space between its rear and the front of Car B. This causes Car B to stop or reduce speed abruptly and in turn pissing him off. The correct way is to have clearance. The reason is to give the other car time to react on your actions.

Having done the clearance, you should also look at what's ahead. You cannot change lanes then suddenly stop. That would also cause the car behind to stop abruptly. So make sure that the cars in front of the lane you are changing to is either far away or is moving at a constant speed.

Motorized Pedicabs on the Rise!

2010-04-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

If you're driving in Manila, I'm pretty sure you've came across the Motorized Pedicabs. When you think of it, this is a perfect example of Filipino ingenuity and creativity. But this past year the number of these motorized pedicabs are increasing and in an alarming rate. Remember that the motorized pedicab drivers have no license and registration. And yet they are free to go around Manila. Both the PNP and MMDA don't pay attention to these motorized pedicabs even if they break traffic laws, like

beating the read light, swerving, etc.

Our government does not take action and this causes for more lower class filipinos to invest on motorized pedicabs for their transportation and business. Imagine if you're in an accident with a motorized pedicab, the driver just looks up and says Sorry! No money to compensate for the car damages. No LTO driver's license and registration. No plate number. I often drive in mania and they drive fast!

Life is hard in the Philippines so I'm being understanding here. I prefer those motorized pedicabs be illegal in our country. But considering the economy, I can live with just requiring motorized pedicabs to have the proper LTO documentations same to any other motor vehicles in the country. Having that said, drivers should also have LTO driver's license to be able to drive. They are bound by traffic rules and regulation. I think this is a fair suggestion and I hope would be implemented in the future.

Kids playing on the Road

2010-04-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Driving near slums or squatters area sometimes scares me. Not because of criminals or someone might steal my car. It's because of the kids playing on the road. The parents themselves allow these children to play in the middle of the road disregard for their safety and health. This is an issue that I myself am angry about. In cases I hear that a child was hit by a car and the parents were so angry. What the hell?? You let your kid play on the

road and you're the one angry that you're kid was hit by a car? That's just stupid.

The government should really act on this. What I think the government can do is sue those parents who let their child play on the streets! Specially kids who were involved in road side accidents. Its the parents responsibility to take care of their children. And one of those responsibilities is keeping their children from harms way.

So what do you do to avoid hitting a kid on the road? when you see a kid, just put your foot on the breaks, slow down and be attentive. You'll never know when the kid would suddenly run and shifts direction. And they usually do this, you're driving straight and a kid on the sidewalk suddenly goes to the road. Even with their parents they do this. So in any cases or scenario, just be extra careful when you see a kid. To be in an accident with a kid is hard and in our country you'll lose most of the time.

Jaywalking Kills (Suicide Pedestrians)

2010-03-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Crossing a street is simple but has certain rules to follow. I know we have lots of streets here in our country that does not have proper pedestrian crossings and stoplights. So I would like to focus on those intersections that do have those proper pedestrian crossings and signs.

One great example is those 4 lane roads with footbridges. We can't make foot bridges in every corner, so we put them to the most ideal places. But some Filipinos are so damn lazy that they don't want to walk a bit further to be safe, instead they cross the street with cars blazing past them. This causes deaths to both pedestrians and vehicle owners. We made footbridges for

one reason, to be used by pedestrians in order to cross the street safely.

When I drive and see jaywalkers or pedestrians crossing illegally, I can't help to want to ram them and kill them. So one time I was really pissed that I tried to scare some pedestrians. I know I know, its not right, but damn it felt great. So here's what I did. I was along Taft avenue manila, and was about to pass Pedro Gil. Which we all know has so many people crossing. They do have stop lights there and also pedestrian lights. My lights were green but they kept on crossing the street. I did not reduce my speed and push my breaks hard to act like I'm going to ram them. And some jumped so high when they saw me coming. Maybe they'll learn something!

What's irritating is that these "Jaywalkers" don't give a damn if they cause traffic or stop you abruptly. We don't have strong and strict rules to protect motorists from these pedestrians. I can think of some great laws that can solve our pedestrian problems. First, there should be a huge fine for illegal pedestrian crossing or J walking. But many politicians have tried this before.

"In 1965, then Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas waged a campaign against jaywalkers to restore order in main city streets." Image and quote from http://video48.blogspot.com

"In 2000 some local government passed a by-law that gives offenders two choices: either pay a fine of 50 pesos (just over $1) or sing the national anthem with their hand on their heart" Image and quote from http://news.bbc.co.uk

So I feel that the most effective way is to let the pedestrians know their responsibilities or consequence for their actions. If a pedestrian is involved in an accident while crossing a street illegally(Jay walking), he/she should be liable for the damages he/she might have caused the vehicle owner. With these by-laws we will have no more Jaywalkers and suicide pedestrians.

Being too Nice to Female Drivers

2010-03-31T02:27:00.000-07:00

What luck do I have to be in another car accident in a month? Funny thing is that the same thing happened. I was driving in Lacson Ave. and before approaching the Maria Clara intersection, the stop light turned green, so I did not stop, but I did slow down. It was a 3 lane road and I was in the middle lane. I didn’t notice that the car on the left suddenly stopped, I just went passed him, when suddenly, right about to pass the left car, another car comes rushing and hit me hard!

I was really pissed! My new Ford Everest was total wrecked last month for the same reason and now this? I came out and cursed and shouted at the window of the driver. I Shouted “ibaba mo bintana mo! (Open your window!).” To my surprise he was

a She. Seeing that she was a female, I started calming down; because I could see that she was scared.

We talked, and she agreed that it was her fault. And don’t want to waste my time and effort, so I just said to pay me Php 3,000, which was the participation fee of my insurance company. Considering that my insurance can cover my damages. If I don’t do this I have to go to the police station etc etc. But she said she didn’t have money on her. So I just took a copy of her identification and contact numbers and said that pay me some other time. Which was stupid, why?

I spent almost 2 weeks contacting her and following up on the payment. And I was the one who went to her to take the money. Imagine the time, effort, gas just to take 3,000 pesos from her.

LESSON : If you want to settle on the spot, let them pay cash. Even if it’s a man and woman, treat them the same. Consider the time and money you would spend on fixing your car and not to mention the hassle without your car. Do not do what I did and just took their contact number and agreeing on paying me some other time.

Accident with a Kid on Bicycle

2010-03-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

It was New Years Eve 2009, and me and my family went to Manila for dinner. I was driving slowly on a street with little or no lights, approaching a small intersection I slowed down traveling around 10kph, when a kid zooms in front of me. Good thing my foot was on the breaks and I was able to stop.

My whole family was shocked so I stepped out and checked on the kid. I was so angry that I cursed the kid and asked him what was he thinking. At that time I was scared and angry all at the same time. It was my first accident involving a person. He answered that his chest was hurting. So I was worried that
there was internal bleeding that I told my family to get out of the car and just ride a pedicab to my grandparents house.

I told the another kid to help the kid up to the car. I rushed to the nearest hospital. The hospital needed a close relative around so I went back to the place of the accident because he lives near there and went looking for his mom. All I found was his brother, luckily when I got back to the hospital his mom was there.

The kid lives in a squatters area so meaning less fortunate, so I took care of all the expenses in the hospital and medicines. Luckily it was just bruising and nothing else. So I was happy and told the mother to take care of her kid next time and don't let him ride bicycles at night. The brother on the hand wants money for the bicycle. Which made me angry. My car has damages that I did not charged them and yet he wants money. I was so angry that I scolded him. after that I just wrote a contract saying that we are settled and no charges will be filed etc. before I gave the medicines and hospital receipts of course.

I hate that the Law has no protection over car owners with these kind of matters. Here in the philippines, if you hit a pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle with a car you are sort of required to pay for everything. Even if clearly you are not at fault. This is based on my experiences. In my case, the kid was clearly at fault, his a minor, his bicycle has no breaks, it was an intersection and he did not stop. Yet I still paid for everything. Maybe its in our culture, but this really needs to change.

LESSON: If you're driving near slums/squatters area please be very careful when crossing intersections. Specially intersections with no stoplights. Some children or even adults do not have the road ethics to stop and look first. So let's do our part and slow down and put your foot on the breaks just in case anything like this happens.

Basic Pavement Markings

2010-03-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

I've asked so many of my friends and relatives and even my personal drivers if they know the significance and meaning of those "Paint" on the roads. And surprisingly they don't. I as I observed the driving habits of most drivers in the city, I can say they don’t also. They don't even know what they are called. Even I don't know what's the Filipino term for these
markings. In English these are called pavement markings. These are Lines, symbols or words that are painted on the road to help and guide drivers with traffic flows.

These pavement markings are as important as those with traffic signs and signals. Different types of lines and colors differ in meaning and must be followed to ensure safety of both pedestrians and drivers.

Yellow Lane Lines

Yellow lane lines separate lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions.

Single Broken Yellow Line

A broken yellow line separates lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions. You may cross this line when you want to pass a vehicle in front of you. You may cross this line temporarily when it is safe to do so.

Double Yellow Lines: One Solid, One Broken

One-solid-one-broken combination keeps opposing lanes of traffic separated. If the solid yellow line is closer to you, you may not cross the double yellow line. But if the broken line is closer to you, you may cross the line only to pass another vehicle and only when it is safe to do so.

Double Yellow Lines

Double solid yellow lines prohibit vehicles moving in either direction from crossing the lines. You may not cross these lines unless turning left when it is safe to do so.

White Lane Lines

White lane lines separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction. Single white lines may also mark the right edge of the pavement.

Broken White Line

A broken white line separates two lanes traveling in the same direction. You are allowed to cross this line. Remember to use your signals and avoid swerving when changing lanes.

Solid White Line

A solid white line marks the right edge of the roadway or separates lanes of traffic moving in the same direction. You may not cross this line unless to avoid accidents.

Double Solid White Line

A double sold white line separates two lanes of traffic going in the same direction. Crossing a double solid line is prohibited.

Warrant of Arrest (My Worst Accident)

2010-03-30T03:25:00.000-07:00

The warrant of my arrest was issued because I was not knowingly sued for reckless Imprudence resulting to damage of property and physical injuries. But before that I'll talk about what happened before my warrant of arrest.

It was someone’s birthday and I was invited for a dinner at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig around September 2005. The past few days before the incident I was going home really late. So I though of going home a bit early this time. Went home11:30pm. Now, come Araneta ave. and was going to pass Del Monte intersection, I looked at the stoplight, it was green, so I did not reduce my speed, which was 70 kph. When suddenly at the middle of the intersection I saw a bright light approaching from my side. Then…

BOOM! A car collided with me. Then there was a moment of silence when I was flying through the Air.... Which was a bit cool. The whole time I was “airborne” I was saying the “Shit” so many times. Then I hit the ground with the driver’s door first. I can feel my arm hitting the pavement while the car was skidding down the road. Then it stopped.

People started going to the car, so I shouted “tulong(help)”. Someone replied “teka lang(wait)”. So someone opened the passenger side door cause it was the one on top. They helped me up and removed my seatbelt. When I got out, I told the guy who helped me up to get my phone, wallet and to turn off the engine. Because I can smell diesel all over. I was really bleeding and really thought there was a crack on my head. I went to the car who hit me, to check on him but was told that he was rushed to the hospital. So I have to call my parents. BUT I have no prepaid Load! So I tried to borrow a phone from some of the bystanders. So called my parents and then called a taxi to go to the nearest hospital.

The driver who hit me had 13 stitches on his forehead (he was not wearing a seatbelt). Good thing I had only 3 on my eyebrow, which I am thankful considering the damage the caused my car. So WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. IT HELPS!

After the accident, the father of the driver involved called us, he said that if we could tell our insurance company that it was our fault. This is because our insurance can cover all of the damages of both parties and their's cannot. They'll have to pay for all the damages themselves. Although we felt bad for them, we DID NOT AGREE. We could be blacklisted by the insurance company if they found out. Then he threatened to sue us. But at that time we never experienced any lawsuits so we just ignored his threat.

After months, a letter was mailed to us saying that I have a WARRANT OF ARREST. That I did not show up for TWO hearings. But we did not receive any letter? I said to myself that day that I would fight this till the end because I know I did nothing wrong. When our attorney showed us what they found, the driver license was expired, the car was not even named to them, and the deed of sale was the exact date of the accident which was fishy and looks fake and also with some other documents. So I was assuming that my case a sure win.

The process was slow, the attorney said that its better to settle considering our insurance company is willing to pay maximum of Php200,000. I guess even my attorney wants things finished fast. Because they say that if you continue you would spend more rather than settling. TRUTH and JUSTICE is expensive!

Philippine’s justice is pain in the ass. Anyway we settled 160k with that a-hole family. But the insurance company paid for everything including our car. But damn it’s not fair!

Lesson: If you're crossing an intersection, specially big intersections, SLOW DOWN. Even if the stoplight is green, even if there's no cars in front, just SLOW DOWN. You'll never know what can happen. If ever you are involved in a major accident, I suggest sue them first, because you’ll get the upper hand. Better to be sure than sorry.