Taguig -- where getting in an accident costs 2.5K

via Wikipedia

Who would've thought that vehicular accidents could be such a pain in the ass?

Okay, so probably the thousands who own a ride knew. And so do the millions of public utility vehicle drivers across the archipelago. Me? I just found out when I got into the security and safety industry.

As an Incident Coordinator, it's my job to provide assistance to clients who're in dire straits. The most common case I handle - vehicular accidents. And since I don't own a car, I initially didn't know the trouble you'd have to go through when you get in one.

Imagine this: Your on your way to an appointment when you hear a loud noise from the back and feel a sudden tremble from the driver's seat. You alight your vehicle to check what's going on, only to find that a cab is having anal sex with your Honda Civic. You try to ask the cab driver to pay for damages, he reasons out, and an amicable settlement is the last thing both of you want to do. You report the incident to the authorities. 30 minutes pass by and the cab and your car is still getting it on. Suddenly, the amicable settlement is starting to sound like a good idea. Just when you were about to make a proposition to the other party, the authorities arrive, they take pictures, ask questions, then request you to come with them to the nearest police/traffic station so both parties can file police reports, which can be used for insurance claims. And this would take another 2-3 hours of your life. After filing said report, it'll take a day or two before it gets released. And that's the only time you can talk to the insurance people about getting your car fixed. Until then, you'll be driving around on a  dent-loaded Civic that reminds others of what a crumpled paper car looks like.

And this is for the best case scenario. It's a totally different story when you're the one at fault, or if one of the parties involved in the incident doesn't have insurance, or if one of the vehicles involved sustained major damage, or if the accident leads to serious injuries, or worse, death. While some may argue that amicable settlements are the best way to go, follow-ups about payment for damages are quite troublesome, especially when you're the one making them.

And that's not all.

Someone I know got into a vehicular accident in Taguig earlier today. He and the other party involved in the incident decided to go to the nearest traffic station to report the incident. When the authorities were done with their investigation, they concluded that the other guy was the one at fault. Just when this acquaintance of mine thought that he was off the hook, the traffic officers who were in charge of the investigation started charging him Php 2,500. Acquaintance, startled by this development, phoned me to clear things up with the authorities. After talking to the traffic officers, and doing some research, I found out that being involved in a vehicular accident is considered a traffic violation.

(Click here for MMDA's list of Traffic Violations and Penalties)

Okaaaaaaay. So being involved in an accident is a violation. I'll go with that. Then you ask, "How come in MMDA's table, it says being involved in an accident won't cost you a thing?" Well, maybe it's the privilege of local government units to tweak some of this stuff. You know, like some City Ordinance or something (I'm not exactly a legal expert). Besides, these traffic officers don't pay themselves. They deserve something in return for the effort they exert in serving us. But Php 2,500? Ain't that too much? I was starting to think that this was some sort of ripoff, but alas, I was wrong. In Taguig, they really do charge people that much for being involved in an accident. And if you don't believe me, you can ask the authorities yourself. Just dial 838-4301, and when the machine answers, just dial ext. 7112.

In my Lone Opinion, it's okay to penalize the party at fault so they'd do their best to prevent the same thing from happening again. But the victim as well? Ain't that unfair? It's not like they wanted to be in an accident. Isn't it enough that they were already inconvenienced by the incident?  Just when you thought that Filipinos can't get any more compassionate and smarter, such ridiculous laws imply the exact opposite. This notion of penalizing with such huge amount is the perfect example of 'adding insult to injury.' I just hope the Taguig local government has a reason for this, and it better be a good one.

Until then, we'll just have to drive with caution, especially in Taguig, if you don't want to go through all this hassle. And in the event that you find yourself in a vehicular accident, here are some tips courtesy of MMDA. As an addition to tip no.2 for minor accidents, take a picture of the vehicles before moving them. This way, you have evidence that might help the authorities determine who's at fault and who isn't. If you don't have a camera with you, use your phone, provided that it's got a cam.

Also, make sure you have the Official Receipt and the Certificate of Registration (OR/CR) of your vehicle with you when driving. I know it's elementary, but some people, even veteran pro and non-pro drivers, take these documents for granted. The absence of these documents will result into a bad day.

Vehicular accidents -- it will not only inconvenience you, but other people as well, so better drive carefully.