As many of you prepare for coming road trips this Holy Week, be careful when driving in the dark because you might encounter some people who think they are super smart, super cool but are actually clueless to the point of being dangerously stupid! Sorry for being judgmental but once you read through the true office story I picked up (which unfortunately is not an isolated case), you will probably agree.
While on a road trip to Isabela, I noticed that my driving companion had a fully tinted vehicle. It was not unusually or excessively dark tint but what caught my eye was the fact that the pick-up had a fully tinted front windshield. I pointed out to the vehicle owner that it was not a good option because it reduces visibility in dark roads and forces the driver to rely on the “bright” setting for his headlights.
My companion explained that the option came with the car like an added feature from the dealership. He then went on to share how some of his officemates, especially the women drivers, have even darker tinted windshield for “safety” and security. One in particular opted to get the darkest tint because according to her, she had a habit of dressing or undressing inside the car every time she changes in or out of her uniform.
“But that will really limit your visibility when driving at night,” one officemate said. The lady responded: “Oh that’s not a problem, I told the store to install HID lamps or high intensity discharge lamps so I can see through the black tint.”
I don’t want to generalize but this is something that is commonly observed on the streets and highways of the Philippines, people driving heavily tinted vehicles also have HID lamps that are even stronger than the usual upgrades of halogen bulbs. To be fair, the regular long trip drivers or travelers know enough to be courteous but as far as motorcycle riders go, there are so many of them who use HID lamps that blind oncoming cars.
The coming Holy Week would be an ideal time for the LTO and Highway Patrol to flag down these vehicles because not only are they unsafe to the operator due to limited or impaired visibility, they are also potentially an irritant or risk temporarily blinding other drivers. What many of these vehicle owners also don’t realize is that the heavy tint, as well as type of material, can affect the eyesight of people who wear corrective or graded eyeglasses, especially progressive lenses that are sensitive to such interference to the user’s vision.
You will surely develop a headache 15 to 30 minutes after riding and seeing through such tinted windshields. Some mistakenly think they got car sick but actually had vision distortion due to the heavy tint.
The LTFRB, especially their regional directors, should check on vehicles used for tourism purposes and shuttle services in the provinces, most of which are vans that are also fully tinted. How can tourists appreciate the scenic Philippine countryside when the vehicle provider has blacked out the windows to keep the van cool? Have your air conditioner serviced and let us see the countryside!
The LTO and the LTFRB and Highway Patrol may have all been so busy adjusting to new bosses and merry-go-rounds at work that they have not realized that noisy car and motorcycle mufflers are once again showing up and sounding off on city and provincial streets. It’s so bad that some cars are now using motorcycle mufflers as noisemakers to have a powerful sound for their slow-poke cars.
Having been able to travel further nowadays, I also noticed that many people in Metro Manila and provinces are driving without helmets and violating the two-rider rules for motorcycles. Hate on me if you must if you are one of them, but I have warned a couple of kids before about this and now they are no longer around. One kid died right after graduation from high school! The neighbors said he cracked his skull when he crashed on his bike!
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The LTO recently negotiated with operators of driving schools to lower their charges to make driving lessons affordable. That’s not the right solution. What we are dealing with in the country is wide-spread ignorance of road rules, safety as well as driving skills and competence. We are also dealing with poverty in a country where driving a tricycle, motorcycle is one of the easiest ways to be employed or self-employed.
Riding public transportation on a daily basis to go to school, to work or to be a vendor is so costly that many kids walk kilometers, while school children in other countries practically ride for free because they are subsidized. A minimal discount does not solve the problem for indigent families or persons and is not enough help for retirees who barely have enough to live on after they pay for the highest electricity costs in the provinces!
What the DOTr/LTO/DepEd/CHED/DOST/Congress and Malacañang need to do is pool their resources and intellect and desire for common good and come up with a holistic educational program composed of different modules for different grades that will educate Filipino children about pedestrian conduct and safety, proper use and riding of bicycles, driver training for motorcycles and basic theoretical driver’s education for 4-wheel vehicles.
If the DOTr has P1.2 billion of give away money for selected or qualified jeepney operators as a special discount for commuters, why can’t the government find the funds for continuing education on road safety, pedestrian conduct and driver education? Stop creating business for businessmen or “investors!” Let them earn their money by providing real services and not through expensive mandatory requirements. Let the state shoulder the cost of driver education.
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