Top 10 Most Frustrating (and Sometimes Dangerous) Filipino Driving Techniques

If you ever learned proper driving etiquette and safety, AND you drive in the Philippines, then you must be frustrated every time you get behind the wheel. Filipinos love to do some stupid things behind the wheel - some that are just plain annoying, and some downright dangerous.

This list is limited to car drivers. Yes, there are a lot of other things on the road to loath - road conditions, public transport, motorcycle riders, idiotic traffic rules, etc. But we car drivers have a lot to answer for, ourslves, and we better take a look in the mirror before we complain about other kinds of motorists.

The following (in reverse order) are those that frustrate me the most. If any of you out there do this shame on you. I hope that by reading this, you change your ways. And if you don't, I hope you don't hurt any of us considerate, intelligent motorists when you inevitably do get into an accident.

10. The Rain Hazard

It's very common to see cars turn on their hazard lights while driving in heavy rain. The logic might seem sound at first - hazards can make you more visible to the traffic around you. But this is wrong for several reasons. First, hazards are meant to be used ONLY when you are in a stationary position (such as parked on the shoulder) or when in an emergency situation while moving (such as rushing a severely injured person to a hospital). But the common use of this while raining can confuse motorists in such a way that they can hit a stationary car, thinking that it's in motion. Second, the use of hazard lights does not allow the use of turn signals, which are incredibly important (and if i have to explain this further, you don't deserve a driver's license).

9. The Left Lane Hog

First of all, let's say this with feeling: the left lane is a passing lane! I have nothing against people who like to drive at a careful pace. But PLEASE don't stay in the left-most (passing) lane for your entire journey. This usually forces motorists to have to overtake on the right side, which is the side that has the most pronounced blind spot.

8. The Blind-You-All High-Beam

Again, the logic seems sound. If the road illumination does not seem enough for safe passage, the use of the high beam is a good way of getting extra light on the road. The problem here is that the high beam also blinds oncoming traffic. A rule of thumb is that when an oncoming vehicle is within 200 meters from you, switch back to low beams to avoid blinding the driver of said vehicle. Don't forget that his low beam will give you extra illumination anyway while the two of you cross paths.

The cousin of the Blind-You-All High-Beam is the HID-Without-Projectors, where HIDs are used in reflector headlamps. These also tend to blind oncoming traffic, and lessen the benefit of having HIDs in the first place.

7. 1. The 2 Lane Right Turn

Sometimes a bus or large truck (particularly semis) will need two, even three lanes to make a proper right turn. This is due to their immense size and large turning radius. But when I see a passenger car do this, I wonder what the hell he needs the extra space for? Same goes for the other variant of this, the 2 Lane U-Turn.

6. The U-Turn to Right Turn

For some stupid reason, Filipinos love U-turn slots. Filipinos love U-turns, period. And one of the worst 2-hit combos is the U-turn to Right turn move, where a car pulls a U-turn and immediately crosses 2, 3 sometimes even 4 lanes to make a right turn. Again, if I need to explain why this is dangerous, you need to turn in your driver's license. To be fair, though, those in charge of road safety and traffic planning are equally to blame for this.

5. The Me-First Merge

This is specific to motorists in intersections who try to speed their way into a right or left turn without any regard for right-of-way. I guess it's better to risk a collision that wait 2 seconds to allow the car with the right of way to pass. This is especially frustrating in private subdivisions, where there is no traffic, speed limits are intentionally lowered (it's a residential area, after all), and roads are narrower.

4. The Tight Squeeze

Another favorite Pinoy move is to find a tiny gap and force your way into a small space, with the sole intent of trying to move up those precious few car-lengths in heavy traffic, or at a stoplight. Sometimes, it's incredible to see just how little space it takes for a full sized vehicle to squeeze in, and in many instances, you end up having your sideview mirror taken out by an idiot trying to force his way into a little gap.

Related to the Tight Squeeze is the Force A Merge on a Lane that Ends move. This is where there is a lane that is clearly about to end and merge with another lane, and instead of merging in a safe manner, a motorist tries to milk the lane to the very end, and force himself into an unsafe merge.

Another permutation of this is the Overtake-To-the-End move. this usually happens when a traffic is slowed to a crawl, and motorists try to overtake on the opposite lane (ie. the wrong side of the road) until an oncoming car arrives and they have to make a forced merge back into the proper side of the road.

3. The Blind Corner Overtake in a 2-Lane Road

Most common in the small "National Highways" (such as they were) in the rural areas, this is where motorists force an overtake in a blind corner, without regard for oncoming traffic. Many a life has been lost thanks to this idiotic maneuver.

2. The Shoulder Overtake

This is often perpetrated on the highways by idiots in fast cars (though idiots in slow car also do this). The shoulder is used by motorists in an emergency situation, such as engine trouble or a flat tire. It is absolutely not a lane for normal traffic, let alone a speeding car whose intent is to overtake.

1. The Move-Over-or-Hit-Me

This is often the follow-up move of users of the Tight Squeeze and the Me-First Merge. When they make their move into you lane, they proceed in such a manner that says "either you let me pass, or we're going to have an accident." Filipinos tend to make overtaking into a test of manhood, and this move usually thet leads directly to incidents of road rage. Worst of all, it's often the idiot who is at fault who is the angry party.