Sanctions for road barbarians

Nobuharu Tabata, president of Toyota Motor Philippines, recently revealed to this writer a very interesting tidbit regarding the issuance of driver’s licenses in his native Japan. According to Tabata, traffic violations in Japan have sanctions that directly affect the chances of a person obtaining a renewed driver’s license. Apparently, each violation has a corresponding number of days that are automatically subtracted from a driver’s "normal" five-year extension. Each traffic violation a Japanese driver commits, therefore, means less time between renewals, more fees to pay and more seminars to attend.

The Japanese driver’s license renewal system is similar in many respects to that of the Philippines’ save for the fact that each violation reduces the length of the renewal extension — which is something maybe our government ought to consider. Think about it. For every violation a driver commits, an automatic debit is placed upon his record. He’ll then be forced to renew his driver’s license more frequently and he’ll be forced to undergo seminar after seminar after seminar. He’ll most likely have a better understanding of traffic rules and regulations the more violations he commits. That is, granted of course that he doesn’t pay his way through — which is (unfortunately) highly likely in the Philippine setting.

Speaking of paying one’s way through, while in Australia earlier this year, we also learned of an interesting little tidbit in Aussie driver’s license renewal processes. In Australia, instead of cutting short the driver’s license extension period, the government jacks up the insurance premium of a license holder for each traffic violation he commits. Drivers in Australia, you see, are required to pay a minimum amount of insurance before they are allowed to drive. The more accidents they meet and the more traffic violations they commit, therefore, the more they will have to shell out to their insurance companies at the end of each year just to be able to drive.

These sanctions are made possible and they work because in these countries, a strict conformity to rules and laws is observed by all. In the chaotic Philippine setting, no such rigidity exists. But, as the saying goes, it never really is too late. All we need is a strict adherence to our rules and realistic sanctions that will make drivers think hard and drive safely. Maybe Backseat Drivers can help out in this matter. What do you think our government agencies can realistically do to help us all obtain the kind of road discipline we so badly need?

Better, Extra Mileage — Truth or Hype?

I often get asked whether the promise of improved mileage from new gasoline formulas is a reality or just a lot of hot air. This much I’ll say — considering the prices of fuel at the moment and their continued rise, we’d all do well to not just rely on the new formulas but to improve our driving habits as well. I will explain, but let me answer the question point blank first — yes. Because of improvements in technology, it is true that the new gasoline formulations we have in the market today burn better than the regular unleaded fuels of before. They therefore promote better combustion and consequently pave the way for better fuel efficiency.

For our readers’ information and peace of mind, we don’t actually just test drive cars, but peripheral products as well. Just recently, I ran my car on Petron’s new XTRA Unleaded gasoline for three weeks. Now, I’m no Pocholo Ramirez (and anyone who thinks they can actually duplicate the living legend’s feat must be out of their minds) so I won’t claim to have run more than a thousand kilometers on my 3-liter V6, but I can see improved mileage when it stares me in the face. I can’t compare the per-Peso value of my savings since the darn gasoline prices won’t stop rising, but yes, my full tank of XTRA Unleaded did last longer than the prescribed five-day cycle I am used to (I was able to stretch my full tank to at least another half-day).

I can in fact give credit to the fuel I used but I also strongly encourage Backseat Driver readers to do as I did and work extra hard as well. By work extra hard, I mean drive intelligently. Try not to stop and go abruptly as this adds to the energy that your engine might have to expend. Try to keep your tires’ pressure constant at a slightly higher level than suggested despite the added "bumpiness" in your ride. Try drifting when it’s safe to do so. Try to plan out your routes before you leave the house so you can avoid traffic choke points and unnecessary stops. Most importantly, when it’s on the gas pedal, try to keep your right foot as far from the floor as you can while driving at a steady 40 to 60 kph — keeping within the speed limit is beneficial not only for your safety but for your car’s frugality as well. There are products that are being put out to help you improve your car’s mileage, but the rest is really up to you.

Happy with other countries’ trash

In a recent privilege speech (which was unfortunately drowned out by the thunder of the usual mudslinging politics so pervasive in this archipelago), Senator Richard Gordon lambasted the unabated illegal importation of used vehicles through the Subic freeport over the past few years. Unfortunately, though the good Senator may have made fans out of many in the motoring industry by rallying for the righteous cause, his words might have fallen on deaf ears. For while it is true that the government can perhaps be partially blamed for the laxity in enforcing anti-smuggling laws, it really is the fact that Filipinos are happy with other countries’ trash that such businesses thrive so well in our country.

For the uninitiated, Senator Gordon revealed that the entry of used, converted right hand drive vehicles through the Subic freeport has cost the government at the very least P9 billion in lost taxes due to (1) the circumvention schemes practiced by the non-tax paying smugglers and (2) lost jobs and opportunities. This P9 billion was lost via the 90,000 smuggled units that passed through Subic from the years 2000 to 2003 alone. The numbers for the past two years are still being studied. The sad bottom line here, however, is the fact that there is actually a market in our country for unsafe garbage that our neighboring countries are only so happy to throw our way. Oh, it’s garbage that looks like a million bucks (and costs around half of that amount, perhaps) but it’s still the kind of commodity other countries already consider as stuff for their bins. Yet Pinoys gobble them up with gusto.

People, there is a legitimate auto industry that needs your help. It is an industry struggling to stay alive by paying the right taxes and giving quality jobs and opportunities to 75,000 of our fellow countrymen. It is an industry worth P68 billion that is now in danger of losing more ground because we choose not to buy products and services from it as we instead battle over the scraps of our neighbors. The sad truth? Most of us are happy with the way things are. We’re happy with the garbage we have.

What to do? If you really can’t afford brand new cars, try searching the newspapers for classified ads on used cars sold by your own neighbors. There is a huge used car market out there filled with affordable and safe cars — and they need not be the kind of cars that our Asian neighbors throw our way. At least the legitimate auto manufacturers can still service such vehicles. At least they’re still far more safe than those converted haphazardly. National development starts at home. The moment we set standards (the proper ones, hopefully) for ourselves is the moment we begin to move forward. Here’s hoping we spew out the trash and have a little more self-respect.

Here are some Backseat Drivers’ reactions from last week.

After printing our complaint, jeepneys now park at Masaya Street U.P. Village, QC side by side instead of diagonally, STILL blocking half the street! Hopeless case? — 09189304560 (When dealing with such stubborn people, it usually is.)

You know why scooters overtake on the right side of the road? Because slow moving vehicles hog the left lane, especially the PUVs. — 09209019498

Just got a 4-speed automatic. What gear is best used for going up and down a place like Baguio? — 09179899730 (When going up or down steep inclines while in motion, one or two gears down from "D" is best. When coming from a standstill — still in inclines — it would be best to use the lowest gear first then move slowly up to the higher gears. For flat roads, keeping the gear at "D" is enough.)

Should we obey those traffic lights along C-5 that were turned on again? All these changes confuse motorists. — 09173212634 (Ho-hum…The story of our lives. Yes, it’s confusing. Yes, it causes terrible traffic. But yes, we should still obey the rules.)

I think the maximum speed limit at the Skyway SLEX should be increased to 120 to 150 KPH. 100KPH is too slow by today’s standards. — 09176232554

Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a "Backseat Driver", text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2333 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber or 2840 if you’re a Sun Cellular subscriber. Please keep your messages down to a manageable 160 characters. You may send a series of comments using the same parameters.