How To Drive Like An Idiot In Bacolod: An Expat's Experiences of Driving in the Philippines and How to Survive

By Stephen Bentley

'How to Drive Like an Idiot in Bacolod' is the story of the British expat author's "road culture shock" when faced with the hazards of driving in Bacolod, Philippines.Those hazards are vividly described in this book.

He draws on his vast experience as a police-trained driver to offer tips in defensive driving in the hope it will help in surviving the chaos on the roads of the Philippines.

This book also addresses the negative impact of the author's observations about the local road culture by highlighting the many "great things" about Bacolod and the surrounding area.

The book is aimed at expats, Filipinos and tourists alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hendry Publishing
• Release date: Jun 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386532224

Stephen Bentley

Stephen Bentley is a former British police Detective Sergeant, pioneering Operation Julie undercover detective, and barrister. He now writes in the true crime and crime fiction genres and contributes occasionally to Huffington Post UK on undercover policing, and mental health issues. He is possibly best known for his bestselling Operation Julie memoir and as co-author of Operation George: A Gripping True Crime Story of an Audacious Undercover Sting. Stephen is a member of the UK's Society of Authors and the Crime Writers' Association. His website may be found at www.stephenbentley.info where you may subscribe to his newsletter. Stephen also writes crime fiction in the Undercover Legends series as part of a writing team under the pen name of David Le Courageux. You can listen to Stephen talking about his Operation Julie undercover days on the BBC Radio 4 Life Changing programme/podcast.

Book preview

How Did Drive Like an Idiot Start?

I am an expatriate from the UK now living in the Philippines. This book is about my driving experiences in Bacolod, Philippines. It is based on a series of articles first published in my blog, Expat in Bacolod.

Those articles are no longer available as a series but have been compiled into this book. The book has been organized into chapters mainly based on the original articles.

The City of Smiles chapter is a new addition and touches on some of the underlying reasons for the phenomenon of idiotic driving in Bacolod.

Following on from that chapter are chapters based on the original article in chronological sequence, save for the fact that I incorporated the two short original articles about Ceres bus drivers into one chapter in this book.

A further new chapter is Bacolod Normal: Manila ‘Very Traffic’ and in retrospect is a little ironic owing to the fact it is clear I was so accustomed to the driving and traffic in the Philippines. That relaxed tone in my observations was soon to be rudely startled by the events I describe in the final chapter.

I also recommend that chapter’s itinerary for a perfect day out in Manila especially if you are short of time in the capital.

The final chapter deals with further thoughts on idiotic driving and tips to become a better, safer, disciplined driver and an introduction to the art of defensive driving.

PS - this is what happens when you drive like an idiot!

Bacolod Road Collision - Photo licensed for commercial use by Smugmug.com

All of the foregoing was true of the first edition. I have now added several chapters towards the end of the book. I have dealt with the reasons underlying that in the foreword and make no attempt to repeat them here.

The book was inspired by the culture shock I faced when I first started to drive in the Philippines. I use the words foreigner and foreigners throughout the book. Filipinos call everyone who is a non-Filipino a foreigner.

My first taste of Philippines traffic was when I initially arrived in Manila. I didn't drive. The three days spent there was highlighted by a visit to Rizal Park and a trip out of the city to Tagaytay A taxi took me everywhere in Manila so even though I witnessed the traffic chaos at first hand, it is not a substitute for getting behind the wheel of the car