Being Overtaken While Overtaking

[Carrie Tella]

I am not sure if this is the correct forum. Sorry. Anyway, I hope you will answer my question. Thank you.

1) I was driving in third gear when the PUJ in front stopped for passenger/s, still covering 1/4 to 1/3 of our side of the road. I thought I knew what to do ... I braked a little and started to squeeze between that stopped PUJ and the opposite traffic. To my surprise, as my bumper is nearing the back wheels of the PUJ, I noticed that another vehicle was overtaking me on my left.

2) Not that I didn't want to be overtaken, but I was first. Besides he may hit oncoming traffic, or I may hit him. I don't want him to die. I didn't want him next to me or in front of me, so I accelerated. Another surprise ... the PUJ I was overtaking accelerated. Perhaps he wanted to overtake me too because his engine was loud and he was quite fast. So, I put pressure on the accelerator that I almost floored it, I think.

3) As I was overtaking, I followed an advice and looked at the right side mirror to see the front of the PUJ come into full view before I completely go back to my lane. I almost hit an opposing vehicle that had tires on the middle of the road.

Now, where did I go wrong? I don't want to die ... yet. :juggle: :pope:

[niky]

You only went wrong in assuming that the drivers around you would be sensible and do the safe thing. You're in the right as the first car in line, to try and overtake the jeepney, but many drivers will often try to seize the opportunity to "get ahead" and will try to cut you off.

Some jeepney drivers (not all) are complete a$$holes who block the road to unload, then will race to stay ahead of whoever's trying to get around them.

In such situations, let the guy behind you pass, the jeepney to race him, and those two idiots to have it out with each other when they crash...

Observance lang talaga. On Philippine roads, you have to have eyes in front, behind, to the side and to the skies (an armored car might fall on top of you) to keep safe. And a thick skin.

[alwayz_yummy]

in those situation where having a maximum torque of 35kg-m * 1800-2000 rpm are very useful..

well, back to topic-- you panic-ed, right.. huminto yung dyip, medyo may kalayuan ka, pag silip mo sa sidemiror, may umoovertake.. then bigla naman umarangkada yun dyip right?

ang pagkakamali mo-- you... HESITATED... buti sinuwerte ka at nakalusot ka...pasalamat ka nalang,at tatandaan mo to palagi---

[size=7]in driving, when in doubt, slow down and stop[/size]!

[chris_d]

Pag 2 lane road tapos nde naman ganun kabilis takbo ko usually hinihintay ko na lang mag unload yung jeep, pero kung walang oncoming traffic mag signal left ako to indicate na mag overtake ako, pero bago mag overtake dapat tingin ka muna sa rear view mirror, kung mukhang may mas mabilis na sayo na mag overtake rin paunahin mo na sya

[coiter]

new driver? parang nagulat ka pa kasi sa nangyari that's a normal occurence especially in a 2 way street so get used to it. next time, kung di ka naman nagmamadali, huminto ka na lang kung nagaalangan ka and wait for the jeep to move. pabayaan mo yung nag oovertake sayo.

i've witnessed 2 incidents kung saan biglang nawala sa tabi ko yung nag-oovertake (actually parang nagcounterflow na) sa akin. na-head on ng kasalubong. :o kaya ingat na lang lagi

[yapoy86]

in those situation where having a maximum torque of 35kg-m * 1800-2000 rpm are very useful..

well, back to topic-- you panic-ed, right.. huminto yung dyip, medyo may kalayuan ka, pag silip mo sa sidemiror, may umoovertake.. then bigla naman umarangkada yun dyip right?

ang pagkakamali mo-- you... HESITATED... buti sinuwerte ka at nakalusot ka...pasalamat ka nalang,at tatandaan mo to palagi---

!

this is right... NEVER EVER HESITATE in driving.. marami nadidisgrasya sa ganyan attitude of drivers hesitating.. hindi malaman nung ibang driver kung hihinto ka ba o didiretso... its better to have a good estimation of whats in mind of drivers in front of you... you need to calculate and expect their moves...defensive driving nga eh if in doubt andyan lang sa tabi ng accelerator ang brakes USE IT

in the case above... kaya ka inovertake nung car sa left side mo is because you slowed down so ang estimate nung car sa left eh hihinto ka eh bigla ka pala mag accelerate so nag alanganin sya and nowhere to go kaya nag accelerate na din para unahan ka.. yung jeep nag accelerate din to get momentum for his jeep kaya sabi mo parang kumakarera sayo.. maingay lang makina nun kumbaga 120kph 100 ingay bente takbo...

[XTO]

Well in driving, over anticipation help a lot. Malayo pa lang when I noticed that the PUJ in front has the intention to pick / drop or stop, almost simultaneously tingin na ko sa rear view and left side view mirror at on coming vehicle. my decision really depends on those….

1. if there are incoming – no way to take the risk to overtake – if someone behind you would take the chance, let him do and watch.
2. but if there are no incoming vehicles, malayo pa lang lalabas na ko ng konti so that following vehicle will notice that I have also the intention to pass – but really depends kung di pa siya (following you) naka labas too. Kasi kung ganun eh malamang kayo mag-abot at pagtawanan kayo ng dyip na loko-loko. The best pa rin magbigayan para iwas sabit.

[mbeige]

Once again, asserting your right of way can be dangerous at the wrong moments. Learn when to yield and anticipate their actions well in advance.

[Memphis Raines]

It always pays to drive defensively.





.

[StraightSix]

Once again, asserting your right of way can be dangerous at the wrong moments. Learn when to yield and anticipate their actions well in advance.

Exactly.

---

What you did was wrong and illegal*.

When you stepped on your brakes and tried to squeeze between the stopped PUJ and opposing lane/traffic, you have indicated that you are slowing down with no intention to change lanes. If you were intending to, you should've looked in your mirrors and turned on your indicator lights if it was safe to do so.

When you noticed the overtaking PUJ the first thing you should have done was to slow down or maintain your speed and let it overtake you. If the overtaking PUJ made a dangerous mistake, it certainly didn't need another mistake from you that made the situation more dangerous.

But don't worry, you're in the Philippines - where the line between what's right and what's wrong is usually blurry.

* https://go.lto.net.ph/xpresslane/?q=node/6#Passing

[batangmahal]

It's useless really that even if we know how to drive defensively when others utterly disregard traffic rules and regulations, and worse, common sense!

Sakit talaga ng ulo minsan itong mga kababayan nating mga tsuper!

[ooba99]

Hmmmm. Parang dapat yatang mai-transfer itong thread na ito sa Drive Talk.

[v6dreamer]

Courtesy and discipline are common problem sa mga ibang driver diyan sa Pinas. So next the next time you drive, you must vigilant with other drivers around you, you cannot drive kung papatay-patay ka kailangan agressive but defensive.

[cutedoc]

just sharing...

the local govt made metal aisle railing to separate puj way to private vehicles, one time a passenger jeep stops in front of me to take in a passenger, i honk so much that it deaf the puj driver...

moral of the story...
1. if the govt made such thing such as the aisle railing, either they need extra money
2. the mayor down to barangay captain need money.
3. they badly need the money
4. it might help ease out the traffic, in which it didnt, unless road widening is constructed.

^ that is in order=)

[cutedoc]

just sharing...

the local govt made metal aisle railing to separate puj way to private vehicles, one time a passenger jeep stops in front of me to take in a passenger, i honk so much that it deaf the puj driver...

moral of the story...
1. if the govt made such thing such as the aisle railing, either they need extra money
2. the mayor down to barangay captain need money.
3. they badly need the money
4. it might help ease out the traffic, in which it didnt, unless road widening is constructed.

^ that is in order=)

[Carrie Tella]

Hey, thank you guys. "Drive Talk?" Thanks, I'll check that out. I never intended this for "Goon Squad HQ." "Wrong and illegal?" I'm sure you are knowledgeable in Ethics, Morals and the law, but you didn't take it up. Come on, I need better than that. Please explain in depth, Man. Thanks.

There were questions raised. Yes, I'm a new driver. I did look at my left side mirror. I didn't hesitate. I always slow down when bypassing or overtaking (or whatever you call it) a PUJ loading/unloading, which occupies my lane in part or in whole.

How do I transfer this to Drive Talk?

Thanks again, especially to those who were constructive. I appreciate it.
:shake:

[StraightSix]

Hey, thank you guys. "Drive Talk?" Thanks, I'll check that out. I never intended this for "Goon Squad HQ." "Wrong and illegal?" I'm sure you are knowledgeable in Ethics, Morals and the law, but you didn't take it up. Come on, I need better than that. Please explain in depth, Man. Thanks.

There were questions raised. Yes, I'm a new driver. I did look at my left side mirror. I didn't hesitate. I always slow down when bypassing or overtaking (or whatever you call it) a PUJ loading/unloading, which occupies my lane in part or in whole.

How do I transfer this to Drive Talk?

Thanks again, especially to those who were constructive. I appreciate it.
:shake:

Did I miss something? You did ask "Now, where did I go wrong? I don't want to die ... yet", right? I think I missed the part when you said all opinions are appreciated - as long as it agrees with yours.

I'm sorry if the answer offended your sensibilities, but I based my opinion on the law on passing and used common sense. From the pages of the LTO website at https://go.lto.net.ph/xpresslane/?q=node/6#Passing


Three Important Things to Remember in Passing

1. It is illegal to speed up when being passed. Continue at the same speed, or reduce your speed.
2. Help other drivers to pass safely. Move to the right side of your lane to give the other driver more room and a better view ahead.
3. Show the passing driver the same courtesy that you would expect from other drivers.

Now why would there be a rule like that? Because most traffic laws are based on safety. You knew the PUJ might hit an oncoming vehicle. When you accelerated, you increased the danger that you knew already exists at that time.

Wrong and illegal? If you think what you did was right and legal, please amuse me by all means. What's your justification for risking life and limb? Was it worth it?

[mbeige]

Please explain in depth, Man. Thanks.

Learn when to yield - I do remember when you said you had a split second thought that it was your right of way since you were in front, and the person behind you was intent on passing you, so you sped up. Just the fact that you had a split second moment gives us all the impression you had the opportunity to think twice about the decision you made, but you decided to assert your way instead.

You're a new driver, on a public board with lots of experienced drivers around. We can tell you that based on near misses, bad accidents, and what-have-you, that the risks of asserting your way just to get ahead, is not worth the risk at all. All the more there in Manila, where drivers have this unbelievable train of thought that whoever goes first is better, you do have to learn how and when to yield.

When you looked at your side mirror and saw the person coming and intent on passing you, just let him so, and you'll have to learn when the safest time to pass is. That's what you call "diskarte" and this part is not in the textbooks at all but is learned through proper driving habits. Unfortunately we all learn bad habits when we see others do it often.

Do not make the mistake of getting intimidated by arrogant drivers. The moment you do, you just lost half the battle, because part of driving properly is also driving sensibly, safely, and remaining calm. Obviously that won't happen if you're intimidated (by a passing motorist - regardless of whether they did it properly or not, as in your case).

In my opinion, your mistake was asserting your right of way rather than yielding, to make it safer for everyone else. Who knows, what if may biglang tumawid sa harap ng PUJ? Or what if may biglang tumawid from the other side of the road? Would you rather be the one hitting the pedestrian? Since we all know that PUJ's have this notorious behavior of accelerating when you're passing them, why not just work around that instead and let them be? It'll be so much easier on your part rather than to make the effort of beating the system.

That's why I emphasized the learning aspect, because you have to juggle all these small tasks - knowing what the proper driving habits are, knowing when to yield, making sure it's safe for everyone, and developing your own diskarte. This is a lot more difficult to do if you're dealing with all these thoughts, and at the same time trying to find your way around pesky motorists, PUJ's, etc while also avoiding fender benders, and perhaps maybe even giving a smoother ride to your passengers.

[niky]

Just in defense of the TS... from the information given, it is not clear whether the PUJ behind her also signalled its intent, which it probably did not, but this is a common bad habit amongst Filipino drivers. If the car in front of you is in the process of overtaking, you shouldn't try to overtake it at the same time. That's also common sense and also on the LTO site:

Where Passing is not Safe

1. When there is a long time of cars ahead.
2. When you intend to turn or stop very soon.
3. When an incoming car is too close.
4. When the car ahead is going at or near the speed limit. Speed limit is still applied when passing.
5. When sight distance ahead is limited.
6. When the maneuver would have to be completed in a no-passing zone such as hill, curve or intersection.

As a newbie, the TS doesn't have the experience to use her indicator signal... (few people actually do), but common sense is... in a queue, let the person at the head of the queue go first. What the PUJ driver did was try to jump the queue by pulling out immediately and gunning it, even though the vehicle in front is showing an inclination to also pass. That's poor safety.

In this incident:

PUJ number one did something illegal, speeding up while being passed.

PUJ number two did something deemed unsafe, which is passing from the end of a line of vehicles... and, from the given situation, was apparently counterflowing on the left side of the road trying to edge past... which is both unsafe and illegal.

TS got caught between the two, performing a technically illegal action of accelerating while being overtaken, but consider that PUJ number two was trying to execute an illegal overtaking maneuver in the first place.

Personally, I think your initial instinct was right... basically if you're the first overtaker, your job is to get around the obstruction quickly so that anyone following you will not be in harm's way. But even though PUJ number one was doing something illegal, speeding up while you were overtaking him, common sense dictates that you should just let him through... no need to get into an accident on the account of the pig-headedness of others. Next time, given the state of idiocy on the road, watch your mirrors. Road sense lang yun. ;)

[puroy]

mukhang di alam ni TS kung ano ang Yield and kung anong klaseng driver ang mga jeepney drivers. :peace: