WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR WAYS

Perhaps we can hope to raise a generation of nicer and gentler people who will choose to obey rules because it is the right thing to do.

Traffic is bad particularly in Metro Manila primarily because many drivers on the road are either unaware or ignorant of traffic and road safety rules, or simply choose to ignore them. Moreover, there is no more respect and courtesy on the road. We have become undisciplined motorists and pedestrians, and are now inconsiderate of others.

We need to change our ways. We need to bring back discipline on our roads. Strict enforcement is just one aspect to consider. More important, in my opinion, is to promote values that relate or impact on traffic and urban living. The rule of right of way has given way to the me- first mentality, and this should be overturned.

More important than right of way, I believe, is learning to give way. “Bigayan” will always trump “unahan.” But giving way requires a strong sense of others. People need to be considerate as well of the needs of others, and not just their own. This applies particularly in the case of emergency vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances.

Merging traffic is also a sore point, where many vehicles refuse to merge alternately. The use of the yellow box, in Metro Manila, has become more a suggestion than a rule. Lane splitting and “singit” has become the norm instead of a violation. And counter-flow has become accepted practice despite its obvious negative implications on traffic flow and safety.

The safe practice is “one vehicle-one lane.” And this should apply to all types of vehicles, including motorcycles and bicycles. Simply put, motorcycles and bicycles have no business being in between lanes, in between cars, and in between cars and sidewalks or curbs. They shouldn’t be on sidewalks either. More important, they should never counterflow.

Obviously, what is happening on our roads now is far from ideal. Pedestrians end up sharing the roads. Sidewalks are obstructed by parked vehicles and business ventures, as well as unnecessary infrastructure. In many places, they are never wide enough. And traffic violators dominate, mainly because they believe they can get away with it. A case of “who dares wins”.

We need to make future generations more aware of the value of discipline, of having a better sense of others. It is debatable whether driver and pedestrian education should be included in school curricula nationwide. After all, why will that matter to farmers in the hinterlands? However, in urbanized areas, such topics should also be taught in schools.

It is in this line that I appreciate my son’s school’s effort to make young children more aware of road safety. A visit to the MMDA Children’s Road Safety Park in Manila during the Kindergarten field trip left an impression on some of the young kids, and helped them become more aware of traffic signals, or following rules, and using crosswalks and pedestrian overpasses. We need more initiatives like this to help educate the younger generation.

In fact, I have started taking some lessons from my son. During drives, he reminds me to put on my seatbelt, and to keep my hands on the steering wheel. He also tells me to put down the “gadget”, referring to my mobile phone, and to “relax” when I start losing my cool in traffic. And, he flags down “bad words” every time he hears them from me, prompting me to apologize.

I recall a time when I kept my right hand off the wheel and on the shifter, more out of habit. He reminded me to keep my hand on the wheel. When I told him that my hand was on the shifter because I needed to shift, he casually replied that the car was an “automatic,” and that shifting was unnecessary.

And this is the crux of the matter, really. Children should be made to realize the difference be-

tween right and wrong, between proper and improper, and what can be acceptable practice when it comes to driving or crossing streets. Values that are taught at home should be reinforced in schools, with the clear understanding that meeting one’s needs should not be at the expense of others. Again, “bigayan” and not “unahan.”

We will never have enough policemen on our roads to strictly enforce traffic rules, and to sanction violators. And, public infrastructure, given that they are expensive to build, will never exceed demand and will almost always border on being insufficient. Behavior, on the other hand, can still change. But this has to start in homes and in schools.

The present generation may already be a lost cause, but there is still hope for the younger generation. The long-term goal is to promote values that can make enforcement irrelevant. After all, if they can be expected to generally do the right thing, more so when no one is looking, then strict enforcement simply becomes one aspect of ensuring discipline particularly on roads.

We need to encourage proper values, instilled through proper education. Stronger campaigns in homes, schools, and communities should be initiated. People need to be constantly reminded of the value, advantage, and benefit of doing things the right way. And perhaps, we should find ways to offer incentives to those who follow the right path.

Stiffer penalties against those who choose to violate rules can work only if enforcement is fair, strict, and consistent. It is one thing that people are ignorant of laws or rules. In many cases, however, it seems that people risk violating traffic rules — and gain from the venture — more so because they can.

Call me naïve for thinking that promoting positive values and education are ways to address traffic congestion. There may be a large disconnect here.

But, at the very least, by teaching our children a stronger sense of right and wrong, and a stronger sense of others, perhaps we can hope to raise a generation of nicer and gentler people who will choose to obey rules mainly because it is the right thing to do, and not because they can be punished for doing otherwise.