Recipe for disaster

You'd be myopic to miss seeing them all over the busy, bustling streets of Metro Manila. They're the spanking brand-new vehicles with their glossy paint jobs that are now a dime a dozen because of the cutthroat competition among automotive companies.

It's never as easy or as cheap as now to own your dream car, whether you're salivating for an inexpensive first car, a mid-class sedan or even an SUV. For entry level subcompacts, the LTO, insurance and chattel mortgage fees are now being waived by car companies to snare customers.

So what sticks out like a sore thumb if these new metals in our streets are so numerous? Well, because many of these brand-new cars already sport unsightly dents and other damage that show they have already figured in accidents, mostly fender benders.

And take a look at who's behind the wheels of the already banged-up new cars. Most likely the demographic would look like this: upwardly mobile sales reps or junior executives on corporate car fleet programs.

No gender bias whatsoever, but many of the drivers are young women or in some cases very senior citizens who should no longer be driving and should just be driven around.

So what's the point of this rant? It's that the too many ill-trained new drivers behind the wheels of peppy, zippy brand new cars that can change lanes in a jiffy is a recipe for disaster -- an accident waiting to happen.

Yes, it's easy to unmask the new drivers who had also been ill-trained. They cut corners, swerve and stomp at the gas pedal for jack-rabbit starts at the stoplights. They also tail-gate like crazy.

Which brings us to our primary peeve: What kind of drivers are our driving schools producing? Are driving schools properly accredited and are their trainers properly vetted? What kind of tests do the LTO give new drivers to keep them, their passengers and fellow road users alive?

These questions are driving us crazy and there's no pun intended. –End-

Image by: www.theguardian.com