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How to Overtake a Truck Safely on a Philippines Highway

Zabrina got busy with the video camera earlier today on our drive back to Bacolod from Dumaguete. This clip was shot between Mabinay and Kabankalan on Negros Island, Philippines.

In my book, How to Drive Like an Idiot in Bacolod (available for $4.99 on Amazon), I give my credentials as an expert driver. I was a UK police trained driver and was also an HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) instructor both on rigid and articulated trucks. If you are American, you will know an articulated truck as a semi.

As part of the police driving instruction, every driver is assessed on his/her running commentary. The running commentary tells the instructor exactly what the driver is seeing and doing and how they react to the road conditions. I am giving such a running commentary as I seek a safe place to overtake a slower moving truck in front of me.

The first part of this journey took place between Dumaguete and Mabinay. There is a long stretch of mountain highway as you ascend the mountains. There are many hairpin curves, steep climbs and steep downhill stretches. Most of that section is paved road. However, there are some unmade sections of road that are dirt and gravel.

It was on one of these latter stretches when a small multi-cab tried to overtake not just me but a tanker truck, two other trucks, a bus and an SUV! The multi-cab driver attempted this on a stretch full of hairpin curves and could not see a thing the other way when he started to overtake!

It is times like that when I know why I wrote my book. What an idiot!

And, that isn’t the only word I used to address the recklessness and crass stupidity of that multi-cab driver!


 
 

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