Dumaguete man commits suicide after crossing a 12-year-old girl

If you think you can ride a motorbike the way U were used to in your home country (USA, Western Europe, Australia) better not even consider to buy a bike, your first day on the bike will most probably your last day. So day in day out, I am trying to adapt to what is said to be the PH way of riding a bike. Nevertheless after so many years I am still getting confused now and than. So low speed, anticipate and go with the flow, is the only way to survive riding a bike unless a lunatic still manage to hit you in the dark riding a bike without any headlight.

 

Have you seen how people drive at around 3 - 4 in the morning? That's when the real animals come out. It's like certain people take crazy juice and it only gets activated at 3 AM. The road like a circus on 2 wheels. People yelling and screaming as they barrel down the road. Using the seat on their motorcycle as if it's a moving beanbag and they're angling to get just the right position to watch video on their cell phone. Multiple motorycle round-table discussions. Racing. Honking horns. No lights. Green lights. Flashing lights.

If Russi were to sell flamethrower muffler attachments one day only, there would be charred bodies stuck to the road the next morning. If for just one day there were a button on their motorcycles with a label "this button will launch you into space" there would be a fireworks show at 3 AM.

At that time, I have to be drunk myself just to have the courage to be on the street. Otherwise it's like living in one of those apocalyptic zombie invasion movies. You have to hide when you see something moving in hopes they won't see you. At best, it's honking, waving and screams of aaaaaahhhhrrrrju! At worst... well, you have seen zombie movies. Occasionally I do get offered a blow job from someone who looks like Bullwinkle in a dress.

Then there's the stray dogs, which is another post.

Lately I have been getting up early for a McDo coffee and a stroll before doing something productive. I'm beginning to think it's not worth the risk.

 

I don't see how being a good driver would have helped in this case - getting overrun by a drunk in a car from behind doesn't leave many options.

Second, there are many Filipinos who are really capable motorcycle drivers. They may not always adhere to Western driving rules on roads, but watch them ride a fully loaded bike on rough roads and worse somewhere in the mountains and you have to admit they got riding skills.

The bigger problem, drunk driving aside, is that people who can barely drive a scooter and have no formal driving education at one point change into an SUV and continue driving that as they did their scooter.

 

The thrust of my post was that driving motorcycles is dangerous. If the victims of this situation were in a 4 wheel vehicle with good safety standards, then everyone would have survived. We are therefore reducing the value of life relative to the need for transportation. This is a developing world trade-off. Westerners don't see to think about this and they are happy to jump on a motorcycle.

 

Yes that's true, and if the kid would have worn a helmet (assuming she didn't) she maybe wouldn't have died either. Still, the driver seemed to see that it obviously was his fault alone and did the right thing, imho.

I have only been riding occasionally before moving here, and since then made around 20k kms on two wheels so far. I try to avoid driving at night, especially on unknown roads.

Especially in the city and with the mostly nice weather two wheels are simply much more practical - I have a car but I only use it if I really have to. Drives me nuts when I have to drive walking pace behind tricycles instead of just zipping past them...

 

Not this Westerner. I rode a bike at age 16 on but was relieved to be able to have four wheels. I remember once aquaplaning over an iron-clad road (on a bridge) on my motorbike and it was scary. So, I for one, agree with you fully and I have 'persuaded' my wife to agree with me!

 

watch out for the parties f.e. at the Forest Camp in Valencia, not only on week-ends. people drinking Tanduay and beer without end, and then step into their big brandnew SUVs to ride home. alcohol tests by the police would make the roads much more safe.