Here’s the ‘road refresher’ we all need to have

MANILA, Philippines — The numbers are not getting better. Just this February, the Japan International Cooperation Agency released data that in 2017, traffic in Metro Manila cost P3.5 billion daily. While the loss — equivalent to P105 billion every month or P38 trillion a year — is a blow to productivity that could have contributed to the Philippine economy, it is immediately felt in the grassroots and shouldered by motorists, commuters and pedestrians.

One way or another, no matter what part of the spectrum we’re at, we have all experienced extremes on the road. We have been bullied by irresponsible drivers; we have been exhausted and exasperated by the so-called “Carmageddon;” and we have been rendered helpless at the long lines at the MRT, period.

While infrastructure solutions are being proposed and sought by the government, the problem would take years to address. Do we just wait for the promised change to happen?

The answer is no. We make it happen. And as cliché as it may sound, we start with ourselves. Let’s never make the monstrous Metro Manila traffic as an excuse to be irresponsible — and worse, obnoxious — on the road.

Let’s start with this responsible road refresher:

Hyundai Philippines advocates for responsible mobility. It aims to teach Filipinos to be disciplined, respectful and law-abiding citizens while on the road.

For more information, visit https://www.hyundai.ph. — Infographic by Basti Belmonte