How Mechanically Safe Is Transportation Here

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Mr Lee
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Well it seems once again people have to die and most likely because of ill equipped and probably poorly maintained ships. Why don't those ships have enough life jackets for everyone? THREE DEAD IN FERRY SINKING The elder Torrevillas reportedly drowned not long after giving his lifejacket to a female passenger.

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Bundy
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Poorly maintained vehicles and roads, along with inadequate safety signs, drivers' lack of training and weak traffic law enforcement are blamed for many deadly accidents in the Philippines. Comming home from SM last time we were there, we were following a tanker trailer laden with "Caustic Soda" through the north reclamation area Cebu. 3 out of the 4 rear tires were down to the canvas and had the steel reinforcing showing! It's gotta make you wonder! Growing up the way i did in Australia and on the farm, i can pretty well drive anything but some of the things i've seen in the Philippines scare me. I travelled on a Ceres Liner bus from Tabunok to Dalaguette and return once. And once will be ALL! Those bus drivers are either high on something or just plain stupid.It seems it's all just a game of "chicken" to them to overtake round blind corners and see who'll be the first to veer off the road........MADNESS!

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Old55
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I will not ride any bus or any van-for-hire at anytime in Philippines. Ever. The only time we ride jeepnee is on Leyte from the dive center to Molitbog as there are no other choices.We only take the fast craft (water jet or super cat) or fly from island to island. The rest of the boats are death traps IMO.

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Dave Hounddriver
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So very, very often I will see a filipino getting on one of those motorcycle 'rides for hire' which they call habal habal in Cebu. I see the passenger almost always will do that catholic thing where they cross themselves to ask God's blessing. It indicates to me that they put more faith in God than in the mechanical condition of the motorcycle or the driver's skill. To be extra safe, they will repeat the procedure every time they pass a church, priest or nun. As for me? I just close my eyes and remind myself its too far to walk so I gotta do what I gotta do (very infrequently)

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Jollygoodfellow
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Sometimes being mechanically safe wont save you :unsure: post-1-0-58150600-1314072842_thumb.jpg Videohttp://www.facebook....v=1887227540324

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FlyAway
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Poorly maintained is an understatement when it comes to many vehicles on the roads there. How safe would you consider a roadside "Vulcanized" tire to be? In Mindanao there are so many of these roadside shops if you blink you will miss a few driving by. The more I think about it, the rental car in my rollover accident had bald tires on the back. Fronts were pretty bad to. The accident was low speed but I had no control of the car, it just slid away from me. Good tires would have been a different story I am sure. On a jeep ride from Bicutan to Fort Bonifacio I videoed the driver. To make a minor steering correction he had to turn the big wheel almost a half a turn! With as fast as he was spinning that wheel, you would think it was a winding road we were speeding down. Part of life there.

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  • 2 months later...
Genius
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I went all around Palawan with a trike driver, who had the habit of cutting his engine whenever we went downhill, to save fuel. So he was steering without engine power. Hilarious, but not when you hit the invariable patch of mud and rock serving as asphalt. I must say, I don't consider it unlike a crash course in extreme sports without the cost or safety extras. then there was the bridge, swaying gently in the wind, with half the wooden slats loose and rotten. I m sure glad I m deeply religious, cos if st Christopher isn't going to save me, all hope is lost.

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  • 3 weeks later...
touristdriver
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2years ago... a french couple ignored me when a cab driver offered them a cheap rate. after 15 minutes, as i was driving by the bay area, i saw the the same cab rammed a concrete barrier. luckily, the couple wasn't hurt. i told them you get what you paid for. Rent a car with driver from a reliable company. Keep in mind a particular company may charge higher because they are quite competitive in the business. This only shows that you can always try to look for an individual that are just starting to make a name in the industry but are known to give good service and charges reasonable rates.

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Dave Hounddriver
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I went all around Palawan with a trike driver, who had the habit of cutting his engine whenever we went downhill, to save fuel. So he was steering without engine power. Hilarious, but not when you hit the invariable patch of mud and rock serving as asphalt. I must say, I don't consider it unlike a crash course in extreme sports without the cost or safety extras. then there was the bridge, swaying gently in the wind, with half the wooden slats loose and rotten. I m sure glad I m deeply religious, cos if st Christopher isn't going to save me, all hope is lost.
Whereas I agree that it is poor driving habit to coast downhill without engine power, I have never seen a trike in the Philippines with power steering or power brakes so these would not be very valid reasons. On the other hand, engines act like a brake when going down hill and geared properly so it is a good driving habit to use the extra braking power that the engine provides . . . although not really essential with a trike on most hills.
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Dave Hounddriver
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2years ago... a french couple ignored me when a cab driver offered them a cheap rate. after 15 minutes, as i was driving by the bay area, i saw the the same cab rammed a concrete barrier. luckily, the couple wasn't hurt. i told them you get what you paid for. Rent a car with driver from a reliable company. Keep in mind a particular company may charge higher because they are quite competitive in the business. This only shows that you can always try to look for an individual that are just starting to make a name in the industry but are known to give good service and charges reasonable rates.
I see your location is Manila. Do you really give that kind of info to people visiting the Philippines? I have been driving around central Philippines for 4 years and would not even consider renting a car if I was to visit Manila. Traffic, parking, directions, and accident liability are my reasons for that. EDIT: Just reread this. I originally thought that was Rent a Car and drive it but now I see you suggested renting a car WITH a driver. Like a taxi. Ok, that is what the French couple in your post did. So what's your point? Edited by Dave Hounddriver
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