I was driving home this afternoon, along Manila’s Skyway, when I happened to pass by what I thought to be a familiar-looking van. You see, I used to own a green model ’98 Hyundai Starex minivan (the first vehicle that I ever owned, hence the sentimentality) which was affectionately called “T-Rex”, a play on the word Starex. It was sold years ago. But throughout the years, every time I happen to come across one, my first reaction would be to look at the plates, hoping to see if it carried a certain familiar plate number.

The van was a few hundred meters in front of me, and from the rear, as I surveyed it, I noticed that the exterior was a bit different in comparison to what my last memories of T-Rex were. It sported an over-sized roof rack, and had those stainless steel trimmings you’d see in some public FX shuttles in the metropolis.

But it had two stickers at the rear window, with one being awfully familiar. And so it was my curiosity that led me to speed up to catch it – it still had its “zing” and was cruising effortlessly at slightly over a hundred kph. As I neared it, I soon realized that the license plates were familiar after all. Ha! I was on the heels of T-Rex! My beloved T-Rex! Barring a few exterior alterations (its fuel tank cover had now been replaced with those somewhat cheesy (sorry) shiny, metallic trimmings; stainless steel sidestep panels and bumper trimmings and large roof caddy, even the front bumper had changed – the new owner probably changed it because I recall that it was once mangled by an over-zealous mechanic. The body color was unchanged, the “Toys For the Big Boys” sticker was the still there, while a new sticker “Baby on Board” was placed beside it, which made me realize why the change in external accessories. This was now a family car – and from the looks of it, my T-Rex had probably finally had its share of “baby” and family-raising experience – from carrying a pregnant wife to the hospital, to carrying the new-born back home. It was now probably heading off carrying its family to a vacation site up south. I couldn’t help but smile and be happy.

Throughout this experience, I didn’t realize that I was actually coasting along the entirety of Skyway’s stretch, up until Sucat Interchange where I had to exit, side-by-side with a long lost friend.

“Puti”, our car, had finally met its “kuya”. And I’m glad both turned out to be reliable, family-oriented vehicles.

So long T-Rex! See you when I see you!

In my previous blog post, I listed 5 tips on how to survive driving in Makati City. While these focus more on how to avoid law enforcement traps, another driving survival guide that’s worth blogging about is how to survive while driving along with Manila’s general driving public.

I’ve had my share of accidents and judgment errors while driving in and around Manila, and these are some of the more helpful points that I believe you should remember in order to avoid being cited more than just a traffic violation ticket.

So how does one survive Manila’s rough and tumble, drag racing, demolition derby attuned roads? Here’s how:

1. The Game of Chicken (or Why It’s Better to be a Chicken Than to be a Statistic)

There are a lot of reckless drivers and road hogs throughout the metropolis. And it is inevitable that you’ll end up playing a game of chicken with some stupid, zero skill driver at some point in time. Now if you’ve taken driver’s ed class or the Land Transportation Office (LTO) license exams, then you’ll probably know that the best way to deal with these kinds of drivers is to simply give way. There’s no point in risking your life, or your passengers’ lives for that matter to some idiot who probably doesn’t know his left from his right, let alone how to use the car brakes.

2. Size Matters (or Would You Want to Go Head On With A Bus?)

When driving in bus-filled roads, such as EDSA, it’s essential to note that “Size Matters”. Simply put: You should never piss off bus drivers, especially during peak traffic hours. If you do, then you’ll most likely end up in the sidewalk frantically trying to wrestle for control of your car while trying to evade incoming pedestrians just because the bus driver decided to play a game of chicken (see Tip #1 above)!

Just imagine the damage a fully-laden passenger bus can do to your car if you happen to be sideswiped by it. An ounce of prevention is indeed better than a pound of cure.

3. Lane Markings are Not Enough (or Whoah! Lay Off on the Gas Pedal Dude, This Ain’t No Drag Strip!)

Manila’s main roads have an unnatural tendency to go from being four lanes wide and all of a sudden narrowing down to two lanes. Imagine yourself cruising along at about a hundred kilometers per hour (60 mph) only to break and swerve real hard because of an unexpected road bottleneck up ahead! How government engineers planned the roads to be this way without having any foresight completely boggles the mind.

And so, it really pays if you always stay alert and watch out for the driving behavior of the cars in front of you. If you see them collectively break or swerve, then there’s probably a road anomaly up ahead. Again, you must remember Tips #1 and #2 above, because this is what will most likely happen in case of a “narrowing road” or “road bottleneck” scenario.

4. The Turn Signal Deficiency Syndrome (or “Did He Just Make a Lane Change Signal? No? BANG! I Though So!)

In my experience, approximately only 2 in every 10 Filipino drivers that I encounter on the road know how to make a turn signal prior to executing a turn or a lane change. And half of that, roughly 1 in 10, usually engage their turn signals a split second before doing the actual turn or lane change! I’ve mentioned this in a previous post.

This can be very frustrating for the educated and disciplined driver. Driver’s ed usually teach you to observe signal lights, as this is a clear indication of the expected path a car in front of you will take. With this driving aspect or discipline missing in most Manila drivers, then you’ll wind up observing Tips #1 and #2 above, again!

There are a lot of other driving nuisances that a driver can face while driving in Manila, or in the Philippines in general. But the four scenarios above are probably the most prevalent. But to sum it all up, the best tip that can be offered is that every driver should practice defensive driving. This is one driving technique that will make you an above average driver, no, a great driver.

Are there other driving pitfalls that should be included in this list? Please feel free to add to it.

Have you ever driven in the “country” that is Makati City?

Of the major cities in the Philippines, Makati has probably one of the most stringent rules when it comes to managing vehicular traffic (aside from Subic, which is not a city, so it doesn’t count). Most drivers passing through this city’s streets have stories to share of finding themselves being at odds with the city’s (sometimes overzealous) traffic enforcers, which oftentimes lead to being at the receiving end of a traffic citation ticket.

You can just imagine the headaches and hassles that Makati driving can bring to the life of the everyday, law abiding “Juan dela Cruz”.

So here are five driving lessons and tips that might save you from the long arm of the law, Makati style.

1. Know Where, When and How to Park.

Where? Streets that allow parking usually have parking slot pavement markings painted along its stretch. And as a general rule, sidewalk curbs painted white are for general parking use, yellow curbs are usually reserved for business establishments, and red curbs are no parking zones. Parking in front of fire hydrants is also a big no-no. Always check for Parking or No Parking signs or verify it with the city parking attendants.

When? Some streets allow extended parking only at certain times of the day. During business hours (usually from 7AM to 5PM), most street parking areas allow cars to be parked for a maximum of 3 hours. On the other hand, some streets offer free parking after 5PM. So it’s always good to check out the Parking Signs nearby.

How? There is a correct way to park when parallel parking is allowed on a street. Your car should generally face the same direction as that of the street lane’s traffic. If you’re caught parallel parking with your car’s front facing traffic, then have at least a thousand bucks ready because you’ll most likely end up claiming your towed car at the city pound (usually at Yakal Street).

To be on the safe side, it’s always best to park in a paid-parking lot.

2. Figure Out the “One Way” Labyrinth Riddle

This is what Makati is known for, the “One Way / Two Way” riddle. Always read the street traffic direction signs usually found at both ends of a street, or at the corner of each intersection. Be aware that some streets permit two-way traffic on weekends or holidays.

3. Obey All Traffic Signs

If a sign says “No Right Turn on Red Signal” then do as it says. These are traffic “honey pots” where Makati’s MAPSA (the city’s traffic enforcement group) people make a heyday. You’ll find these traffic zealots usually ‘hiding’ around the corner, ready to spring to action to apprehend the unsuspecting driver.

4. Buckle Up. Seatbelts Save Lives (Among other things).

Buckling up not only saves lives, it also saves you from unnecessarily spending your hard earned cash as fine for not putting seat belts on. MAPSA people have eyes trained to watch for signs of ‘passenger seatbelt underutilization’.

5. Remember Your License Plate “Number or Color Code” Day.

This is one traffic rule that makes the city seem more like an autonomous country. Makati does not follow the usual National Capital Region (NCR) Vehicle Reduction Program schedule, otherwise known as the vehicle Number Coding Scheme.

Vehicles with plates ending in a certain number are not allowed on main roads on certain days. The number code days are:

Monday: Plates ending in 1 and 2
Tuesday: Plates ending in 3 and 4
Wednesday: Plates ending in 5 and 6
Thursday: Plates ending in 7 and 8
Friday: Plates ending in 9 and 0

Most NCR cities and municipalities enforce the bans on the following specified hours: 7AM to 10AM and from 3PM to 7PM. In Makati’s case, bans are enforced from 7AM to 7PM. So you better watch out. Oh, and make sure your watch works just so you’ll now what time of day it is. :)

The five survival tips above cover traffic regulations. How to survive while driving along with Manila’s general driving public is a different story.

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Related Blog Entries:
7 Ways to Avoid Road Rage – Part 1
7 Ways to Avoid Road Rage – Part 2

How good a driver are you? Can you honestly rate yourself as above average?

An armored van that fell off the Metro Manila Skyway made the news a couple of days ago. This is the second reported incident in a year’s time of a vehicle falling off the elevated thoroughfare. What’s troubling is that the vehicles that fell landed on top of, and crushed, other unsuspecting vehicles driving underneath. Are there any deaths or injuries? It’s a certainty.

The cause of these similar accidents were attributed to the drivers losing control of their vehicles after driving way too fast, which is quite common for cars cruising along this virtual ‘speed zone’. Most drivers would rather choose to drive ‘by the seat of their pants’ rather than practice defensive driving techniques. Interestingly, according to some Car magazines like Car and Driver Magazine, most drivers think that they are better than the average driver even if their driving habits really show how mediocre they are.

Heck, most drivers don’t even know how to use the turn signal, and these are usually the one’s who speed by you and cut you off as a means of showing off their driving ‘skills’. You shouldn’t ride with them even if they paid you to. The fact that they can’t do a decent turn signal means that their brains can’t handle multitasking (look, signal and turn, look, signal and turn – it’s easy, right?). Which means that they’d choke and crash if an accident happens right in front of them, because you can bet that their evasive driving decision skills are off par too.

I was flipping through my phone picture gallery and saw this picture of CJ astride a steering wheel. The picture is really cute, but it dawned on me that he’ll be driving his own car someday. And the sad incidents above showed me the importance of educating him on how to be a responsible driver in the future. In short, I wouldn’t want him to fall off the road, or be crushed by a falling car. Not in any lifetime. Literally and figuratively. How about you?

Do cars fall off trees? Apparently not, but they do fall off skyways.