Bikers Beware

[sonjack2847]

If you are a driver/Biker be aware that if you are involved in an accident with a local and it is not your fault you will more than likely have to pay.

 

(1) Tom had another motorbike pull out in front of him and cause an accident cost to Tom 250,000 peso.For his treatment.

 

(2) George had a trisikad pull out in front of him cost to George 200,000 peso for his hospital treatment.

 

(3) James had a little girl run out in front of him(on a quiet road from behind a parked car) They impounded his bike until he paid all the girls medical bills and he got a statement from the parents lawyer saying it would be taken no further. He would have paid the little girls bills anyway but the money was extorted from him. Cost to James 20,000 peso.

 

(4) Doug driving along the road in Dumaguete yep a trisikad pulls out in front of him and he has to pay so far his bill (for treatment) is 150,000.

 

So all of you take extra care when driving or riding here or it could cost you a lot even when it is not your fault.

[Jake]

If you are a driver/Biker be aware that if you are involved in an accident with a local and it is not your fault you will more than likely have to pay.

 

(1) Tom had another motorbike pull out in front of him and cause an accident cost to Tom 250,000 peso.For his treatment.

 

(2) George had a trisikad pull out in front of him cost to George 200,000 peso for his hospital treatment.

 

(3) James had a little girl run out in front of him(on a quiet road from behind a parked car) They impounded his bike until he paid all the girls medical bills and he got a statement from the parents lawyer saying it would be taken no further. He would have paid the little girls bills anyway but the money was extorted from him. Cost to James 20,000 peso.

 

(4) Doug driving along the road in Dumaguete yep a trisikad pulls out in front of him and he has to pay so far his bill (for treatment) is 150,000.

 

So all of you take extra care when driving or riding here or it could cost you a lot even when it is not your fault.

Another slap in the face reality check.  Thanks for the heads up Kevin!

 

Es mo pun in da Philippines

[scott h]

Agreed Sonjack, we must take particular care when we live here, weather true or not we are perceived as all having Platinum Visa cards in our pockets.

 

But when I hear things like this I always have to wonder if the "victims" are not just taking advantage of us, and that we are only getting part of the story.

 

(1) Tom had another motorbike pull out in front of him and cause an accident cost to Tom 250,000 peso.For his treatment

 

Why did it cost Tom that much? Did the victims lawyer show up at his door with legal documents? Did the PNP haul him off to jail and say "you pay or you stay in jail" Or did Tom just say right off the bat "Send me the bill, just don't call the cops"

 

(2) George had a trisikad pull out in front of him cost to George 200,000 peso for his hospital treatment.

 

Same questions.

 

(3) James had a little girl run out in front of him(on a quiet road from behind a parked car) They impounded his bike until he paid all the girls medical bills and he got a statement from the parents lawyer saying it would be taken no further. He would have paid the little girls bills anyway but the money was extorted from him. Cost to James 20,000 peso.

 

Did James need the bike so desperately that he allowed himself to be extorted?

 

(4) Doug driving along the road in Dumaguete yep a trisikad pulls out in front of him and he has to pay so far his bill (for treatment) is 150,000.

 

Why? Again did the cops cuff Doug and say "you pay and off to the pokey you go!" Or did Doug get so flustered he offered to pay right off the bat. Did Doug have insurance?

 

Here is my personal experience. My wife and I were driving along and we slowed to a stop for a stop sign, a trike wasn't paying attention or decided to "thread the needle" and ran into the back of my car. Got out made sure everyone was ok, the driver naturally wanted money. Wife wanted to pay to "avoid the hassle" In one of the few times I 21 years of marriage I got my way, and handed the driver the phone number of my insurance agent. He said "ill call the cops!!!" I put my sunglasses back on, leaned up against the trunk of the car and said (through my wife naturally) "go ahead, I have time".   The driver sputtered and fumed a bit, jumped on his trike and zoomed off. We never heard from him. 

 

So again my question for these 4 gents if they were at fault and paid up good on them I say. If they were not at fault what means of coercion were used or did they just roll over?

[virginprune]

A friend of mine here got hit in his car by a motorcycle that shot straight out of a side rode into him. The rider demanded payment, people standing around demanded he paid the rider, the police came and demanded he paid the rider! My friend's wife got out the car and refused to pay, adding that her father was chief of police, he is. Suddenly the rider, who had no license and therefore no insurance was informed that he had to pay!

That just shows that without that intervention everybody was against him, including the police. This is one of the reasons I have decided to just cycle and use public transport here!

[expatuk2014]

I dont drive here anymore ! we bought a van back in 2012 mainly to take my son and daughter around when they came here from the UK

for my 65th bday and our wedding anniversary,

theres no traffic rules everybody does their own thing !

we pay my brother in law to drive us around, so its no hassle for me and he earns money !

we did have one trike pull out in front of us in santa cruz the driver came up to my window and started shouting when he realised I was in the passenger seat which my wife so nicely told him he suddenly got on his trike and went on his way, wish I had a camera with me ! we have now !!

[Dave Hounddriver]

In each of these cases the driver had someone 'pull out in front of him'.  Drivers need to learn that you will be judged at fault if you hit someone from behind REGARDLESS of the circumstances.  As Scott said,

 

I always have to wonder if the "victims" are not just taking advantage of us

 

You can read about this happening in the US where people throw themselves in front of cars so the car will hit them.  I do not believe it is that deliberate here but it is an attitude of "Hit me, I need the money".

 

The lesson is:  When all the locals are driving aggressively it is time for foreigners to drive extra defensively.  Defensive drivers never hit anyone from behind.

[Gratefuled]

Why doesn't all this surprise me? ( rhetorical question)

 

After observing how everyone drives here, and it didn't take long, I knew I didn't want to own a vehicle of any kind  here.

I first noticed this when I booked a shuttle from my hotel to Tagaytay. I'm sitting towards the front the other tourists were behind me. Drivers were darting in and out in front of us along the way. I asked, what's up with that? She smile and said, " we drive here where space available".

In other words, whoever gets to the open space first gets it. I continued seeing this with taxi drivers, jeepney drivers, and even motorcycles and pedestrians.

They just honk their horn to let them know, " here I come" or whatever they want the honking to mean. No one seems to get pissed off. I'm cursing them under my breath.

Funny thing, I seldom see any accidents. I've never ever even seen a tow truck. They just repair their vehicle right there where it broke.

[WordsandMusic]

In Korea the drivers come to a light, they would get four cars side by side, you literally could reach out with half an arm and touch the window in the other car.  When the light turns green, they drag race across to the two way road!

 

Who ever is in the lead darts on through while everyone one else fight for 2nd, 3rd and 4th. They stay bumper to bumper at the fastest speeds they can, then they line up for the next race. These are all KIA, HYUNDAI, DAEWOO, lightning fast with manual transmissions. Ruff after a couple of bottles of SoJu and Kimchee!! 

[Thomas]

(3) James had a little girl run out in front of him(on a quiet road from behind a parked car) They impounded his bike until he paid all the girls medical bills and he got a statement from the parents lawyer saying it would be taken no further. He would have paid the little girls bills anyway but the money was extorted from him. Cost to James 20,000 peso.

Well. I find the DRIVER guilty in that case too, and he would be in my home country too, because we aren't suppoused to drive faster than we can stop if something happen.

 

The other cases the foreigner hit from BEHIND so it make some sence even if the other drive reckless. 

 

A friend of mine here got hit in his car by a motorcycle that shot straight out of a side rode into him. The rider demanded payment, people standing around demanded he paid the rider, the police came and demanded he paid the rider!

While cases like THIS worry me. Here it's OBVIOUSLY the Filipino's fault  :th_unfair: :bash:

 

 

[i am bob]

Each of the drivers in the original post were in the wrong. Exactly as Thomas said, you have to be able to stop if somebody walks out in front of you. As for the others? If somebody pulls out ahead of you, they have the Right of Way as they are the lead vehicle. If you hit somebody beside you? It depends on whose nose was father ahead. The case for Virginprune's friend? The friend was in the right! The policeman probably either knew the other person or lived in the neighborhood. Get pictures before the vehicles are moved apart so you can use them in court if needed...