Driving or for that matter riding in a car here in the Philippines is not for the faint-of-heart. There are no speed limits, no rules, in most places no signals, no traffic enforcement, and no right of ways. I have found that there are two types of drivers here. Those that drive between the lines of the highway and those that drive on the lines. With this method on a three lane road there can be five lines of traffic. Great way to efficiently use all available space on the road. So it doesn't matter how many lines there are, you simple go with the flow.
Picture a busy freeway as described above and then add a million motorcycles, people running across the freeway, cars stopping in the middle of the road to buy something from a vendor that is walking between the lanes of cars.
Off the freeway on the city streets a red light is a considered suggestion. If you stop at them the horns start to honk at you to get going. Right and left turns can be made from any lane of traffic. There is one rule that all obey. The car with the front bumper most forward has the right of way. This means that although there are cars speeding towards you, you can pull out and make a left turn right in front of them and they will be expected to stop. It takes guts sometimes.
There is however the rule of size. If my car is bigger than yours I should be first. The last thing you need to do to survive driving here is called No-See-Chicken. You simple pretend that you don't see the car you just cut off. By not acknowledging their presence you surely have the right of way.
Picture a busy freeway as described above and then add a million motorcycles, people running across the freeway, cars stopping in the middle of the road to buy something from a vendor that is walking between the lanes of cars.
Off the freeway on the city streets a red light is a considered suggestion. If you stop at them the horns start to honk at you to get going. Right and left turns can be made from any lane of traffic. There is one rule that all obey. The car with the front bumper most forward has the right of way. This means that although there are cars speeding towards you, you can pull out and make a left turn right in front of them and they will be expected to stop. It takes guts sometimes.
There is however the rule of size. If my car is bigger than yours I should be first. The last thing you need to do to survive driving here is called No-See-Chicken. You simple pretend that you don't see the car you just cut off. By not acknowledging their presence you surely have the right of way.
LOL - not sure if you remember me saying that i never drive when i go back to PI.
ReplyDeleteHope you guys are doing well regardless.