:: MIS Insights ::

When I was driving on my way to Ateneo this morning, I got behind a car whose plate number plaque was covered with dark plastic. The plastic was dark enough to render the plate number unreadable even under broad daylight. This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered illegible (non-readable) car plaques on the road. I’ve noticed that more and more people are following suit and I think that this isn’t good for the Philippines.

Having an unrecognizable plate number is a license to kill in the Philippines. The possibility of speeding away without getting identified after an accident is quite distressing for me. My slippery-slope prediction? An increase in non-readable plate numbers will also trigger an increase in “hit and run” situations in the road. This will make the Philippines more undesirable, attracting less investors and venture capitalists.

If MMDA and LTO don’t get their act together to put a stop on this, our roads will be infested with reckless drivers. Fixing this kind of problem later will be much more expensive. It will be more expensive for the MMDA because it will have to acquire implements to catch the violators (i.e. motorcycles to chase them). Ultimately, it will be more expensive for the people once MMDA figures out the costing of such violation (cars getting towed, tickets, etc). Though I have a feeling this might not be such a bad business proposition for MMDA+LTO… Get more dark plaques out there, then we can start farming the roads … *Ahem!* … going back…

Audience Rebuttal : Whoever said that having dark-colored plates equates to reckless drivers? Is there a study for this?

I’ve seen it on the road. Filipino drivers will do anything crazy on the road if there is no police officer around. Tricycles counter-flowing / going the opposite direction of the road. Jeepney drivers taking a U-turn in non-designated U-turn slots. Buses stalling along Edsa to wait for passengers, creating bottlenecks that usually stretch from Megamall to Kamuning. And let’s not even talk about the privately-owned car drivers whose driving ethics doesn’t include giving way to others.

Do you really think that ALL people who get dark-colored plastic covers for their plate numbers will only use it for fashionable purposes? Just like how students don’t want to wear identification cards in school these days?