# Bad Laws And Lousy Drivers



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I got caught driving without a seat belt it cost me 370 peso's, about two months ago, the police picked a curved road area and they're effective. Enforcement is another or lack of it, I still see 4 people riding on one motorcycle including the baby and no helmets worn, tricycles on the highway with school kids on top. 

Last time I got my drivers license I was almost run over in the cross walks in front of the LTO office.


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

Unfortunately LTO is substandard to say the least. Law enforcement is pick and chose. Especially for those foreigners. You see my post that they changed the charges for tickets and fines, unfortunately we westerners will be the sole payers of the fines. I don't drive here only my wife or driver. We still get targeted because i am in the vehicle. Its just one of those things here. If they would only enforce the law equally. I don't care a jeepney or tricycle driver you must obey the law. Stop this I am just a poor driver trying to make money. Well in my opinion if you want to drive obey the law PERIOD


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

The Buses used to come at me head on, doesn't matter if your driving with babies in the front to these guys, complete and utter insanity... I had to pull over several times so the bus wouldn't hit me, wife screaming every single time. I don't see this anymore, the buses have slowed down a bit and are more cautious. 

I've noticed a pattern, when they crack down on these bus companies it works for about a month and these guys are back to driving at you head on so these tougher laws might work, not sure about the careless driving but the buses that aren't registered, using plates from other buses 1 million fine, drivers with fake license no registration.

Many of the tricycle drivers can't afford their license or the annual registration fee's, if these guys get caught, they lose everything.

Jeepeny drivers that take up two lanes, another sore spot with me and they won't move, I'm stuck waiting, pedi tricycles/bicycles bobbing and weaving blocking the hwy...I'm not kidding and at least two crazy guys, sometimes a girl walking the streets half naked or completely naked.


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

mcalleyboy said:


> The Buses used to come at me head on, doesn't matter if your driving with babies in the front to these guys, complete and utter insanity... I had to pull over several times so the bus wouldn't hit me, wife screaming every single time. I don't see this anymore, the buses have slowed down a bit and are more cautious.
> 
> I've noticed a pattern, when they crack down on these bus companies it works for about a month and these guys are back to driving at you head on so these tougher laws might work, not sure about the careless driving but the buses that aren't registered, using plates from other buses 1 million fine, drivers with fake license no registration.
> 
> ...


It is amazing but you are absolutely correct. Bottom line my friend is take a deep breath and count to 1000 and move on


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

It's like everything else. They can pass tougher laws all they want, but without the ability to enforce them they will be ignored (except in the case of a foreigner being involved).

This topic reminds me of a conversation I had a few years back with a Deputy Prosecutor of the Department of Justice. She was wining about the proliferation of weapons and tougher laws needed to mitigate them. I told her flatly, "how about enforce existing laws and no need for new ones?" I got this cross eyed stare and her batch mate (a private attorney) got a good laugh out of it.


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## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

What irks me is that they will go after a Foreigner and fine him/her than a Filipino/Filipina because they don't have the pesos to pay the fine. I have seen as many as 5 on a motorbike and it is crazy, or as my wife says, in Bisaya, boang. So many times I see illegal vehicles running at night with no head lights or tail lights functioning and especially inside the subdivision here I don't even see reflectors, even on bicycles or even the pedicabs. If the local government would enforce these laws and make the population follow them, things would be a lot better, especially when it comes to traffic safety. So many bikers break into lines and pass as many vehicles as they can.


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

JimnNila143 said:


> What irks me is that they will go after a Foreigner and fine him/her than a Filipino/Filipina because they don't have the pesos to pay the fine. I have seen as many as 5 on a motorbike and it is crazy, or as my wife says, in Bisaya, boang. So many times I see illegal vehicles running at night with no head lights or tail lights functioning and especially inside the subdivision here I don't even see reflectors, even on bicycles or even the pedicabs. If the local government would enforce these laws and make the population follow them, things would be a lot better, especially when it comes to traffic safety. So many bikers break into lines and pass as many vehicles as they can.


I think this goes without saying the pay these traffic enforcers get is minimal at best. They pull over foreigners as the foreigner most likely (to them anyway) will have cash and just pass them 100-200 pesos. Money in their pocket. They see on TV how the elected officials do it. Just imagine if they were assigned a quota to reach. (I know many don't agree) But would they be more inclined to enforce the law? The other part is when you pull over a car or motorbike the possibility of getting shot is very very real. So they are reluctant. Where as a foreigner probably don't have a weapon. Just think if they did enforce the laws they would have money for street repair. Money for cleaning the cities. But then again they figure who gets the money not them but the elected officials. Its just a vicious circle. So what can we do about it KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED AND HOPE WE DON'T GET A TICKET OR HAVE AN ACCIDENT.


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## DonAndAbby (Jan 7, 2013)

The things described in the topic are one of the main reasons I chose to live in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. I wanted to have the freedom a car allows and driving here is much, much safer and more civilized than other areas. Not perfect, but far better.

Some traffic laws are enforced (seat belts, crosswalks, stop signs) and that is fine with me. I see people pulled over all the time (by foot traffic cops), and my impression is that most are Filipino visitors who bring their rude driving habits here and get nailed for it. I think a lot are pulled over for not wearing seat belts. I have been pulled over twice for my passenger not wearing a seat belt and in both cases they let me off with a warning because I had a valid explanation (daughter wearing only lap belt, pregnant Abby ready to jump out to use CR by their post). Both cases were out by Cubi point so be aware if you go out there. The officers don't have much to do at checkpoints besides look at seat belts. 

Olongapo City is relatively tame too. Definitely more lawless that SBFZ but I think some of the SBFZ habits rub off to the driving in Olongapo.

I wish they would crack down on the employee shuttle buses here. They must get paid by the trip and drive like idiots.


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## redroom5 (Feb 16, 2014)

From my point of view the chaos on the roads is something I can live with. 

I would rather less enforcement and less police on the roads in phils. In General I would like to keep the Philippines more like the Philippines and less like the USA. I enjoy the wild west anarchy in phils and the liberty that comes along with that. 

The more police and enforcement they have the more revenue they will generate. That cycle just brings more rules and more enforcement. Police in any country are nothing but road pirates. 

The BIR is getting more heavy handed.......the government of the Philippines wants it's share of the citizens hard earned money. They have learned from the western countries that their people can be cash cows too. 

I'm happy to take the Philippines as she is............


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

I once read that in the years immediately following WWII, that Tokyo used to have such terrible traffic, that the police used to maintain signs next to major intersections, advising how many people had been killed or injured the previous day, at that particular intersection. Eventually they got a hand on traffic enforcement, and established very strict driver's training. I don't know if it's possible to do the same thing over here, however, and sometimes I wonder if things have gone too far around the bend to ever come back. It might seem like the wild west today, but ten years from now it might seem more like Somalia. It seems like the attitudes and culture are not right to put things back on track.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

redroom5 said:


> In General I would like to keep the Philippines more like the Philippines and less like the USA. I enjoy the wild west anarchy in phils and the liberty that comes along with that.


Finally somebody voices how I feel, there's more to it than being a cheap(?) place to live....otherwise why go through all the chaos for a low water bill lol


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