Driving on the Wrong Side

I've been driving 30+ years in one of the most challenging road and traffic conditions in Asia (so non-Pinoys swear) so I thought driving in Australia, with its' wide roads and its' courteous law-abiding drivers, would be a piece a cake. I was wrong. Again. Not only do they drive on the wrong side of the road but they're also very strict about obeying road signs. Hefty fines magically appear in your mailbox with a stern warning to pay up or suffer dire consequences. Trigger happy speed cameras abound. In short, you will be caught red-handed and there's no escaping the law. You also get demerit points in your driver licence. With most everything computerised, the long arm of the law is attached to a vice grip you cannot talk your way out of. 

road sign along EDSA competing with billboard ads

You know you're Pinoy when you understand what a double whammy that is. In the motherland, road signs, road markings, speed limits, etc. are generally regarded as  mere warnings, a guide to navigating one's way through the organised chaos that is Manila traffic. They often get lost amidst the myriad of advertising billboards that compete for the Manila driver's attention and oftentimes get superceded by the MMDA traffic enforcer. Speed limits in the main thoroughfares are hard to exceed because the sheer volume of vehicles calibrate the flow to a painfully slow pace. I chuckle to myself every time I hear people here complain about the "traffic". The big cities of Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney combined do not come close to what Manilenos put up with on a daily basis! "Traffic" to country folks is maybe a 10-car build-up in a roundabout, umm perhaps 20-30 sec of idling. What joy. 


The amount of idling we get in Manila is so bad it provides business opportunities to the enterprising. The busy city streets become moving fast-food centres. The slower the flow, the more business is generated.

peanut vendor 

 Oh how I miss the freshly boiled peanuts and the hot kropek. And what about those nodding dogs for the dash? The latest products on the shopping channel? Not just a fastfood centre but a shopping mall too. These vendors risk life and limb to earn a few pesos. OH&S (Occupational Health & Safety) will have a field day. But I digress. I just had to stick this photo in. 

Back to driving in Au. Pedestrians have right of way. How refreshing. Vehicles have to do a full stop before zebra crossings when pedestrians need to cross, wait till the last one steps off the road and is safely on the curb before proceeding. Very civilised. I feel so safe everytime I'm the pedestrian. So opposite back home. No  regard for safety, people cross busy Manila streets at great risk. They cross everywhere, on zebras and off. Cars do not stop, much less slow down for pedestrians. Cars, not people have right of way. A sign of low regard for human life perhaps? Life, when there are so many lives, is cheap it seems. 

emu

No honking of horns. You know an Asian is driving when you hear an impatient honk. Busted. It's considered rude. The horn is so rarely used here in the country that one can go without it (not the same in the big cities though with a high Asian popn ha!). Many months ago Stan accidentally hit an emu while out in the bush. Now emus I am told are very dangerous creatures once you collide with them because their heads are so hard and their necks so long that a head- on collision might mean coming eyeball-to-eyeball with it. Thankfully, this one didn't. But it did damage the entire front of his 4WD including the horn. He's never noticed that the horn didn't get fixed until I had to borrow his car for my drive test. 


I got my Victorian driver license early this year. I was driving with my Philippine license prior without any incident. Ok, ok I had a few scary moments my first couple of times on the road-- I realised I was on the wrong side upon seeing other cars coming straight at me yeow! Fortunately, people here are kind and forgiving, all I got were dirty looks ha! Other than that and checking my orientation at all times (making a right turn was tricky) I was fine. So applying for an Australian license should be a breeze right? Naaahhhhh. It's much harder because I had to unlearn 30+ years of "different" driving habits and learn new rules on top of getting used to driving on the other side. All my instincts taught me to look to the left before the right. Here it's right then left. Doh!

typical Manila traffic

A1 driving school taught me all about "defensive driving" in the wild wild streets of Raon where metal and human bodies come within inches of the other (surprisingly very low casualty rate). Dodging vehicles left, right , front and back with nary a scratch was an art. Vicroads admonishes me to drive "cooperatively". My re-education was a process of taming my "survival driving" style. Hmm, I might not have the guts to drive back in Manila again, we'll see. 

Securing a Victorian driver license is a 3-step process, the first two are theoretical exams and the last is a drive test. I ace'd the first two and was confident I would ace the last. I had three go's and finally passed it the fourth time aaarrrgh!! What a blow to my ego. I kept flunking the speed test (yes, you have to maintain the speed limit up to the point where the sign changes, not a centimeter before!) and the head turn when switching lanes or turning a corner (have to do a stage drama turn of the head.  With my long hair, I look like I'm shooting a shampoo commercial!). I was a few hundred dollars poorer too. Waaah.

hard-earned licence

Each drive test had a fee attached. I swear those Vicroad guys saw me as a cash cow aaarrrgh!! Nevertheless, I kept going. I would not be defeated. Finally, they must have figured they've milked me enough, my fourth and final go, I got the nod. Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah. I heard the chorus in my head. Euphoria. Finally. With a thankful and triumphant smile I posed for my photo ID and got a ten-year license. A bird in hand, you know.