Pinoys: Best (& scariest) drivers in the world?

[nicolodeon]

Last night, some of my collegues and I gave a farewell dinner to three graduate students from a university based in New York that did some research for us here in the Philippines.

At one point, our conversation drifted to the Pinoy (and Pinay) drivers. Since they were here for a good number of weeks and have done land travel extensively, they had funny and interesting stories about their experiences with Philippine drivers.

All in all, they had a contrasting conclustion: the Pinoys are arguably the best drivers in the world and also the scariest.

They marvelled at the driving skill of drivers here in the Philippines as well as their general knowledge about automobiles, which became useful when they got stuck for a few hours out in the boonies somewhere due to a mechanical problem. They said that, in the US, when that happens the driver either leaves the car or has it towed. Now, I don't know if this true or not but they say their admire the Pinoy's knowledge of their rides.

They also said that they had hair-raising moments while on the road, when their ride was nearing the point of an accident wating to happen due to the "skill" of their drivers. .

They also liked the courtesy and kindness of Pinoys. Apparently, they're used to drivers who yell at each other at the slightest traffic "provokation".

There was also a mention of a few automobiles that they liked, and said that were not available in the U.S. A few of these were the Rav 4, the Crosswind and the Revo . (US based tsikoteers: wala bang Rav 4 dyan?). They liked the Honda Civic hands down. They also said that it is now the most stolen car in the U.S. This true?

So, hats of to Juan (and Juana) Dela Cruz, the Pinoy (and Pinay) drivers. basta tsikot, patok talaga ang Pinoy.

[mazdamazda]

(US based tsikoteers: wala bang Rav 4 dyan?)

meron. meron pa nga silang 2.4L Rav4

[5Speed]

hehehe a colleague of mine here in HK (He is a chinese but British citizen) once told me that he went to the Philippines before for a vacation w/ his girlfriend...they are planning to rent a car (since they do these quite often when traveling) to explore the places by themselves....so with a map a lot of enthusiasm off they go to Avis (he already have a discount for these worldwide), they got a car that they want and off they go from MIA (NAIA now) He is a good driver and I can attest to that since I already ride with him not only here in HK but elsewhere in China/Taiwan where we have some projects as well... he can even drive a left hand or right hand drive vehicles since he also stays in the US for quite sometime.....

so off they go from MIA....he told me the first few minutes were fine...he saw some cars going left or right ignoring the lane markers...'same driving habit as china he thought' and some jeepneys stopping anywhere to fetch and drop a passenger....'same as vietnam and bangkok he thought.....but when they converge to the main thoroughfares, thats when everything broke loose.....he told me everybody is driving like mad... a bus is cutting every vehicle it passes at a blazing speed, a huge truck overtakes their car w/ less than a foot of distance from his side at a tremendous speed and then cut him instantly...and all of the taxi's are driving like a tasmanian devil even criss crossing each other at a tremendous speed.....private cars edging too close to their four sides, he can even see the mole of the other passenger beside him....he even feels that the other driver is much nearer to him than his girlfriend passenger who at that time is already shaken scared almost to the point of panic and shock.....He told me that it is his first time to pray to God to give him enough strength and skill just to reach to their hotel in one piece and they did....somewhere in Makati. (just imagine, he only drove from the NAIA to Makati, he's just beginning to see the fun)... He told me that they were already in front of the hotel and the bellboy already opened their doors but they cannot get up quickly because their knees were still trembling at that time. When they already grasp their breath and composure, the first thing they did after checking-in was to call Avis and ask if they can provide them a personal driver.....HAHAHAHAHAHA.....we had a good laugh but he seriously told me that he never seen a driving skill like that before, and he admired their designated driver for their stay and gave him a big tip, he sometimes ask the driver, how did you do it w/o even scratching our car? and the driver will ask him 'what, what did I do?' he thought they've encountered a lot of close calls that can diminished their good life in earth but after a while he understand that those are not close calls but merely a day to day driving norm in manila....hehehehehe and he ask me....'how long have you been driving in your country, I told him since 1st year of my secondary school.....and then he told me....next time we had another project together outside HK.... you drive.....

[odell]

hehehe. iba talga tayo nuh! :D

[1D4LV]

hmmm.. really don't know ha? but i think the chinese drivers in shanghai are worst than filipinos. yung nga lang kasi, mas risky kasi roads natin tsaka infrastructures natin kesa sa kanila.

[niwde11]

meron. meron pa nga silang 2.4L Rav4

i drive my sister RAV4(2wd nga lang) for 2 mos in LA. Kasama pa run yung 4hr drive to Las Vegas.
i must say Filipinos are "alert" driver. Unlike american trained drivers, they are very relaxed(siguro dahil isip nila majority sa kanila masunurin sa batas).

[chain]

nakakatuwa naman 'yan..

one time this topic came up when my cousin came over to visit from the states. she remarked that Pinoys have some sort of unwritten laws on navigating the chaotic traffic here.

and yes, magaling daw talaga mga Pinoy when it comes to driving.

[theveed]

I'd say "best reaction and anticipation" but definitely far from being "best" since by that you should be a law-abiding, responsible, safe and respectful driver on the road.

[ILuvDetailing]

HAHAHAHA. Yup tama si theveed, our instincts are razor sharp... after years of "training". There are wrecklessly fast drivers and veryy slowwwwww drivers (which I hate more) that hog two lanes.

[bender]

I still say that the reason that we have very skilled but undisciplined drivers is that a lot of these drivers (jeepney, taxi, bus and truck drivers) are not properly trained and educated. Without training and education, these drivers do not learn about, much less abide by, rules that are designed to prevent and to minimize accidents. Also, lack of proper education leads to lack of courtesy for others.
I felt very much like 5speed's hk friend when i first started driving. Although i am used to it, i still get very much affected by bus or jeepney drivers who feel the need to cut me off or race my car. I find my traffic situation here in novaliches worse than metro manila as i have to deal with tricycles and bikes. These drivers are even worse as they like to weave in and out of your car.