Near Death Experiences in the PI.

[Clermont]

While browsing through the site I've read about needless road deaths in the PI's, what are your close call experiences? I've had what I believe to be a few but it is normal practise over there, water of a duck's back to PI drivers.

One time we hired a private car to take us out to Cavite for an appointment. The driver overshot the place we were supposed to go too and did a U turn in front of two buses coming side by side, in the opposite direction, shi-- were trumps as these two buses locked their brakes and skidded to a halt not more than a meter from my side of the car. Now I'm pretty placid and don't swear at the locals, but the tongue was in full flight and I was trying to balance myself to take a poke at the di--head. Thank god the wife was with me, pushing me back off balance, and the MMDA had witnessed it and came running up the road blowing their whistle, mongrels, they didn't let me take a poke at him. Looking back on it I'm lucky I didn't lay one on him as the police did enough damage to him dragging him out of the car and throwing him on the ground. One of the police ,( top dog ), asked if I'd hit him, which I hadn't, and I smiled when he said he must have got tangled up in his seat belt when he got out of the car. After I'd cooled down a bit, the policeman said if I'd hit him I'd be the one in trouble, then stopped a taxi for us and we were taken to our place of appointment, free of charge, " the police will pay for this" said the driver. 

Now that's just one incident, but I still can't get over the tryke drivers driving up the wrong side of the road with cars coming at you, then at the last minute nosing their tryke into the smallest of gaps until the car goes by then they're at it again. I think the only way I can overcome my worry about their driving culture is join you expats and get on the p-ss, if nothing else, it will deaden the pain a bit. 

 

 

[Jake]

55 minutes ago, Clermont said:

Now I'm pretty placid and don't swear at the locals, but the tongue was in full flight......

 

 

Thank you for reminding me to put this on my bucket list.  I would love to hear an Aussie cussin' up a storm in their full glory of Aussie anger.  I'm sure I would not understand one word of it but it will sound so sweeeeet.  

  I'm glad you survived but there's always another tomorrow.....he, he.  

[scott h]

Just the other day, I turned right onto a 3 lane road, now this is in asiana, a new area here in Manila. Wide street and wide lanes believe it or not. While I was accelerating in the right hand lane I glanced in my rear view mirror and then over my left shoulder to change lanes. When I looked front again, there was a jeepney stopped dead in the middle of the road. Not over to the side, right in the middle. I had plenty of time to move over, but if I was a less experienced driver (as most Filipinos are in my opinion) it could have been nasty

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, Clermont said:

what are your close call experiences?

I've had "near death" or "close call" experiences as most of us have had, but I tend to let them go and not dwell on them as the stress would build up tremendously if a person were to keep those thoughts close at hand.  When i think of it, there have been more than a few and I'm lucky to be alive.  I know we don't get into religion on this forum but I feel compelled to say "Thank you, Lord!"

To keep the record straight, I have had close calls back in North America.  It just seems to happen more often here and usually involves traffic.  If you add in the "just a bit dangerous" situations like earthquakes and typhoons and storms that come up while on a ferry then I have to say its a wonder so many of us survive 

Anyone in Dumaguete feel the earthquake this morning?  Lynne jumped out of bed because she thought my huge wall mirror was going to fall off the wall and decapitate her.  (Too many horror movies before bedtime methinks). Anyway, PhiVolcs says it was a series of small ones around Zamboangita (south of Dumaguete) with the largest being a 4.7 in Dauin.  Not the worst I have been through but a definite bed shaker.

Edited January 27, 2018 by Dave Hounddriver

[Jake]

37 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Lynne jumped out of bed because she thought my huge ........was going to fall off

Why do you guys do this to me?  You know I love to dissect the words and look for an opening.  And besides that, I thought you had a ceiling mounted mirror?

I do......doesn't everyone?  

[Reboot]

You missed something else Jake. It is a

59 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

definite bed shaker.

 

[allancomeau]

1 hour ago, Jake said:

 I thought you had a ceiling mounted mirror?  I do......

 

I won't ask why............

[JJReyes]

Driving on the South Expressway, a bus overtook our passenger car and, at the same time, an idiot passenger threw out the window the shell of a fresh coconut. I have encountered others throwing and littering the highway with paper cups, but this was a huge, heavy coconut. This is the equivalent of throwing a large rock from a moving vehicle.  It nearly hit our car. A few months later, a foreigner was killed in a similar situation. The coconut bounced once and hit the windshield killing the foreigner. 

[allancomeau]

 

A few times while driving. Once (or twice) my fault for driving like a local.

The most memorable occasion was also with a local driver. He was not a good driver.

Going along North EDSA, he sped up to keep other car from cutting in...not aware the traffic light ahead was red, until he was 20 yards away - then belatedly slammed on the brakes.

In front was a flat bed ruck with bundles of thick r-bar sticking far out the rear.

The bars - at shoulder height for me kept getting closer and closer.

We stopped - amid the squeal of brakes and tires with the r-bar over the hood about 18" from my person.

 

 

[intrepid]

Last week we were traveling south on the SLEX in slow heavy traffic about 5PM.  Finally after a while it opened and cleared.  I had just got up to speed(100) in the left lane when the car ahead I could barely see in the next lane, (with no signal or brake lights), swerved into my lane and stopped QUICKLY!  In the middle of the fast left lane. With the other traffic I had no where to go but to step on the brake.  I thought my foot was going through the floor.  We had seatbelts on and I was yelling at my wife as we skidded along we are going to hit!   The car stopped with less that a meter but at the same time the far following me was having trouble stopping and swerved into the wall.  The driver in front who had stopped got out laughing and that's when I noticed his hood had flew up against his windshield blocking his view.  Of course after securing his hood, he drove away.  Now since traffic was stopped, I exited my car to render aid the driver behind me who was uninjured.  I checked my brake lights and found them working.  That's when the driver behind said, he should have had his brakes serviced after his last accident!  I said okay, good luck, and waved goodby!  Stayed in the slow lane until we exited the SLEX.