U.S. DRIVING LAWS: A PAIN IN THE ASS OR A PAIN IN THE NECK?

I never learned how to drive until I came here to America.  But it was only after 6 years that I learned how to drive a car. I never wanted to drive because I thought it is a very frightful experience to navigate a vehicle across high-speed highways and lanes. I don’t even know how to ride a bike. With much hesitation, I obliged to take driving lessons. It was just borne out of necessity. Moving from New York City to the boring suburbs of Connecticut was a difficult decision. But out of sheer love and affection for my husband, I moved with him. Of course, to wherever he goes.

It was more unnerving for somebody like me who’s a city-dweller for the most part of my life. My first “home away from home” was in New York City that I instantly fell in love with.  The conveniences of subway trains, buses and taxis are some of the bountiful reasons that have caused me to endear the “world’s greatest city” dear to my heart. Back in my hometown, I had lived in a village that’s 3 minutes away from the beach and a minute walk to the road where all sorts of public transportation come and go every second. My hometown, Davao City is a beautiful mix of urbanity and relaxed tropical beach town.

So, as I moved to Connecticut, you can imagine how upset I was when I was facing the bitter truth of the need to drive.

Good thing, I had a very good instructor. Her name is Rae. She was an absolutely very pleasant woman whose jocose manner of teaching abated my frazzled nerves and tensions while driving. All the more, she was very friendly, and patient. She told me she’d been teaching driving lessons for 40 years. She would even treat me to snacks at Wendy’s. How sweet.

Gradually, I learned all about the road signs, the traffic laws and safety rules, the penalties, and various “unwritten” laws of driving.  On the weekends, I practiced with my husband. But there were times my sweetie could turn to be like a “monster”  for a few seconds whenever he was with me while I drove. He would frantically yell sending my nerves to jolt and panic all the more.  I didn’t like my hubby when he’s with me while I was at the wheel. Of course, my driving sucked then.

When the day came for my test, I was so nervous. When the inspector came to call my name, I cried. My loving husband hugged me and consoled me telling me it’s going to be alright.  I wiped my tears and resolved my guts. The test went on smoothly as I remembered all the stuff that my instructor taught me. After 15 minutes of driving around with the inspector, he told me I passed.  I leaped for joy. The test was quite easy-peasy.

I began to realize in comparison to my tiny nation, driving laws there are non-existent. Sure, they are written and even posted on the roads but I think no one even cares. Honking of the horns is common and should not be counted as rudeness. Cutting is the means for surviving. Humongous buses and trucks, along with taxis, jeepneys, cars, bicycles, and motorbikes, share wee-bitty roads. Speed limit is unheard of. Merging sounds like a different language. Kids selling candies and cigars dart to and fro across highways and streets to sell their wares to passengers and drivers. There is no such thing as “the pedestrian has the right of way.” Pedestrians ran across streets like running for their life. In short, it’s chaos.  The worse part is, cops can be bribed. Such a sad plight for a very poor country.

My aunt who is retiring in the Philippines within two years planned to hire a driver once she gets back.  I asked her why would she need a driver when she is still physically able to drive by herself. She replied, “Being in the US for 20 years, I may never have the gall to drive by myself in my own country. I might die soon of a heart attack. The way they drive scares me to death.”

I’m not trying to tear my own beloved country down. I am pretty much proud of how beautiful it is, and how friendly and hardworking the people are. However, what I am saying is true. I think no one, not even a citizen of my own nation can ever refute that.

Americans are fortunate. Driving laws are strictly implemented. Actually, I favor all the driving laws here in America. They were designed to protect and safeguard all kinds of pedestrians, drivers, and passengers. They have special rules designed for schoolbuses, children, elderly and the disabled. There are warnings about deers and precautionary signs for the winter.  And of course, there are stiff laws for drunk driving.  Aside from that, the speed radars can be daunting. It’s such an extensive set of laws that intends to bring safety and order on the road.

But some people resent these laws. Obviously, these sorts of people are everywhere. They are the drivers who have no regard of others’ safety but their own concerns and selfish interests. They don’t put on their signals before they turn, they hastily cut just when you’re about to accelerate, they inch their way past the crosswalk sign on the road as if 12 inches of space can make a difference of how far they go or how fast they can ran as soon as the green light flashes, they even speed through a red light or  fail to stop at a STOP roadsign, they halt instead of merge on the exit, and the most annoying of all, vehicles inching at your tail leaving about a foot of space between you and that vehicle. For the life of me, all I could do was mumble, “What the hell are you doing?”

It’s unfathomable even to imagine how did these people drive so stupidly. My hubby explains it with one thing; they are just stupid. My take? Maybe they are prepared to die.

Sometimes, accidents are bound to happen. You can call it a sign of stupidity or maybe just pure temerity to face death. Like, one wintry day last year, I thought I was going to die. That early morning before going to work, sleet poured. Then it started to snow. The roads quickly turned slippery. As I turned around to the right, instead of keeping the speed at a maximum of 10 miles on an icy curve, I revved to 20 miles. Suddenly I find my car just swerving off the road right down on the sidewalk, hurriedly pacing to crash into a lightpost and a newsbox altogether. Before I could even react and steer my wheel in the opposite way, kaboom! The airbag smashed and burst onto my face so hard. Several seconds after, I looked at my windshield. I could see the front was wrecked and mangled beyond recognition.  The sides were also bruised, chipped and broken.  It was such a horrible sight. My car smelled like burnt fire and I felt a terrible pain in my neck.  Then I rushed out of the car.

I squatted on the sidewalk looking at my car, speechless and shaken. A woman came to me asking me something but I was too shocked to talk. She told me my mouth and teeth were bleeding. All I just said to her was to call my husband. Three minutes later, the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), the cops and the firemen arrived (When you call 911 here in America for a vehicle accident, all these three units come to the rescue).  Everyone asked me questions. Then they rushed me to the Yale Hospital, to check if I am really alright. I wasn’t expecting my husband to come sooner. But I later found out, that they have a snow-day in school (Schools are closed when there are snow alerts), and that while he got the phonecall, he was on his way back home. The next day, we found out from the hospital that the pain in my neck was caused by whiplash (a neck injury caused by sudden jerking of the head forward or backward or both). A few days after, the insurance called  informing us that my car was totaled (my car was a 3rd generation 2000 Chevrolet Geo Prism).

That experience somehow brought me back to the urgency and importance of driving laws and rules. If I had been careful of my speed while turning on that slick road, Iwould have not met that accident. I ignored the rule and I suffered the consequences. One of them was a pain in my neck. Although most of us are not comfortable with rules, eschewing them like they’re shackling our busy lives, I think it’s good to have them. Not only good but it’s best to have them.  Following them by heart can oftentimes be a pain in the ass, but we rather obey them to avoid having “like the pain in the neck” that I had a year ago. I tell you it was not really bad at all, but I could conceive the worst.

Now, Americans, do you ever detest the laws of driving, and of the roads? Do you think you are a good driver? Now my fellow Filipinos, do you agree with what I related about how the lack of rules in our country can ever be improved? Do you think your driving skills are good? I don’t mean speeding but “real skills” to avoid accidents and collisions. Do you think laws are a “pain in the ass?”

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Comments

[Bill]

i think that the laws are made to protect us. i am like you sometimes i dont obey them but i am glad they are there. If they were not then if somebody hit us and the accident was not our fault. Then we would be stuck with all the bills. I am glad that you did not get hurt any worse than you were my friend. Take care.

[Mel Avila Alarilla]

What a masterful treatise on driving in the US and the Philippines. What you said about reckless driving in the Philippines is all so true. I have many foreign friends whom I entertained before when I was still connected with an export company and they all agreed that they could never have the guts to drive in our streets. Your experience in a vehicular accident was an eye opener. We thank the Lord you survived that. Thanks for the magnificent post. You have a way with words. God bless you always my friend.

[Ria]

Thats one thing I can remember about Manila, the jeepney drivers they have no concept of rules and safety on the roads. I agree with you that our country needs to have more rules, but I think its been neglected long enough and maybe if the government put down the highway code it would just be ignored.

For me, I hate driving, I detest it, I'll avoid it at any cost. But it's not my driving that im scared of, its the other lunatics out there!

[Clarisse]

I aced my written test here in the US and FLUNKED my Behind the Wheel test TWICE! And I've been driving for about ten years in the Philippines prior to that...tackling the cramped backroads of Malate, the busy streets of Makati, all the way to the horrendous and beyond definition which is EDSA. And I felt like throwing up each time I went behind the wheel here in the US...because I knew I was ignorant about traffic rules (reading and knowing about them is entirely different from having it ingrained in my system). True enough, the first time I took the practical exam, the lady gently said, "I can tell that you've been driving and I'm not worried for you regarding car skills, but DMV is not after how fast and wreckless you can go, BUT how safe you will be. I can't let you go like that". I cried like a little girl to my hubby after that (speaking of husbands...yes, they turn into monsters on the passenger side...you're not alone!) By the way, the DMV lady has a point.

[John Purkiss]

Hi Bing,
There was once a campaign in England to reduce the number of traffic signs and since then there seem to be more.

It is OK driving into cities but once in them one can spend ages trying to find a way out, mainly because there are far too few signs.

It is a good that I like driving or I would happily give up

[Skye]

my gosh, I'm sorry u had an accident. But forget the car, the most important thing is you're A-okay. I am happy i get to meet you.

Btw, i like driving better here more than in our country. I always had migraines following those reckless drivers there and police don't even care. I love our country, but i don't like how they impose laws. I don't like the government also. They all suck! sorry. lol.

[betchai]

I am sorry to hear about your accident, but glad to know that you did not get terribly hurt more than you were, and hopefully, by now, you are doing okay. I agree, it is difficult to drive in our country, someone would just cut in front of you witout warning, and also, if you are not agressive, you may end up not being able to cross an intersection :(

[Joy]

Oh dear...I need to study driving because I'm now experiencing how hard without your own vehicle especially if you got kids. I'm scared and still not started.
I really salute the pedestrian laws of US and Aussies. It's just the people really abused it. To our beloved Motherland..hoping for the improvement and not wishing coz wish don't come true.

[Tony]

Great post! My Pinay wife is trying to learn to drive. After a year and a half of being stuck at home until someone can take her somewhere is driving her nuts.

[GMichael]

Good post, I had one recently about road rage on my daily commute. Learning to drive in the tri-state is the worst as the drivers are by far the worst! Trust me I commute to work in CT and there is seriously something lacking in people...it's as though they thing its a video game! Safe driving to ya : )