Is there a need to retake the driving test?
EFirst of two parts very little bit helps — or so it seems. With tons of daily traffic violations committed everyday in Metro Manila, both the public and the authorities have often said that the main cause is the lack of discipline. Simplistically, the authorities and so many others think that ill discipline can only be cured by massive, pervasive and consistent enforcement of rules. The authorities then took a step further supposing that the ill discipline of our drivers is borne by the wrong way they learned how to drive — essentially, poor driver’s education.
What to do? Impose a retake of the driving exam for all drivers renewing their licenses by 2018.
To provide focus, the most heavily trafficked roads in Metro Manila happen to have the most number of recorded traffic violations. But, take note, that the vast majority of these violations are committed by public transport drivers who load/ unload in prohibited areas and zones. The “swerving,” “coding” and “obstruction/ illegal parking/stopping” violations are just like chocolate sprinkles on this bigger cake. Which makes one wonder about the commonly held premise that heavy traffic is caused by lousy drivers — by definition, drivers who do not know how to drive or do not know the Land Transportation code by heart, or just refuse to follow it.
Through all the years here, it has always been an accepted conclusion that too many drivers (except oneself ) here do not know how to drive.