Motorcycle Menace

I was one hundred meters away from the stop light when it turned yellow.  The car on my right-hand side, which was ahead of me by at least fifty meters, reduced its speed and stopped just in time the light turned red.  When I was about to reach that same corner, a motorcycle screeched on my right-hand side and eventually rammed into that same car on my right. The motorcyclist was thrown forward onto the rear windshield and dropped on the side of the vehicle. After a few seconds, the motorcyclist stood up complaining about the pain on his back while looking at his damaged motorcycle.  He approached the window of the car he bumped. The car driver said "What?".  The motorcyclist said in an angry tone, "Why did you suddenly stop?!".

Unlike that car driver who had his flawless black Toyota Altis rammed by a motorcycle, I would have blew my top on that motorcyclist.  This was an example of how motorcyclist in Metro Manila drive and think.  They usually assume that you will give way even if they are not on the right side of the road.  They will assume that you will reduce your speed if they suddenly cut on your path. They would assume that you, being in a car, will give way to a helpless vehicle like theirs.  This situation in the roads of the metro roads can turn you insane.

Not all motorcycle drivers are reckless. But the statistics are very alarming. According to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), there were more than 2,000 motorcycle-related accidents in the metropolis for the first five months of the year.  51 of these accidents were fatal.  I was actually surprised and disappointed about the report. I thought it was the average number of motorcycle-related accidents in a month!

Motorcycle drivers would drive on sidewalks, squeeze on the gutters, overtake to counter-traffic even if a vehicle is near appoaching, swerve left and right in speeding traffic, avoid other vehicles without looking on their sides and all the kind of dangerous driving habits and violations you can think and dream of.  If Jose Rizal was still alive, he would probably consider these drivers as the society's cancer.

So what do you do when you suddenly ram into a motorcycle that suddenly cut you off on the road? This are the most important pointers that should do to protect yourself and your property:

1. Take a full picture of the accident.- Use your cellular phone camera to do this if you don't have a camera in your car. Take shots of the road, the lane where the accident happened, the driver of the motorcycles. Take as much shots of all angles showing plate numbers of both vehicles.; Since there are cheap digital cameras available in the market, you might opt to have one permanently in your glove compartment for this sole purpose;

2. Call/Look for a traffic enforcer or a policeman. - Have someone call or look for a traffic authority. A policeman would be the best alternative. Have the accident immediately investigated. Have the accident drawn properly. Warning: Do not leave the scene of the accident.  The other party may run off. Take a picture of him running away from the accident and then file charges of "Hit and Run" against him. Let your insurance policy take care of the rest.

3. Take note of details - Take note of pertinent details like plate numbers, brand of the motorcycle, name of the driver, his driver's license number, time of the accident, place of the accident, etc.

4. Check if the driver has a valid driver's license. - I say VALID because his driver's license should state whether or not he is license to drive a motorcycle.  Having a driver's license to drive a car does not automatically permit you to drive a motorcycle. Do not demand to check his driver's license. You do not have the right or authority to do this.

5. Keep you calm - You may express anger or disgust at the first moments of the accidents but hold your horses. Be on the advantage. Be as calm as possible. Usually, authorities favor people who are calm and easy to deal with.  Make sure that you present yourself with integrity and intelligence.  Do not be too bossy or domineering. Even if it was not your fault, authorities might favor the other driver when they find you arrogant.

These pointers may not get that damage on your vehicle done. It may not be enough to file charges against the other party.  However, it will protect you from the other party.  You might end up being charged for Vehicular Reckless Imprudence resulting to damage to property and serious physical injury.  This is a criminal offense and will haunt you later on.

Some may ask, "Would you file charges?".  Some would say "No, poor motorcyclist". I beg to disagree. If he was reckless, FILE CHARGES. You may be saving someone else' life by doing this. Make the reckless driver learn from his mistake and prevent this from happening again. "But it will require me to show up during court hearing!!!".  Well my answer to that is "I thought you wanted a better society. Do something about it!"

For now, we can only wish that the Land Transportation Office can be more serious in implementing driving rules and regulation and disciplining irresponsible motorcycle drivers.  This should protect, not only car drivers and pedestrians, but motorcyclists as well.