Driving in Manila

Driving in Manila is not a science, it's an artform. And the taxi cab drivers here are zen masters. It's amazing what they can do, constantly weaving and dodging in and around other vehicles. there are no rules of the road... oh sure you do see an occasional stoplight that (for the most part) drivers heed.... but mainly Manila's automobile transportation system is just a mad dash to see who can get to the open lane first. It's really just a giant game of "chicken" with two, three, or sometimes four vehicles each trying to nose simultaneously into the same open lane.... and eventually all but one will chicken out.
I've seen surprisingly few wrecks here... though I've been in about 1000 near fender benders. lol It's pretty amazing how vehicles will get within inches of one another before someone slams on the brakes. The good news for those with weak hearts is the speeds are usually between 15 and 30 mph.... so you're not really risking life and limb here.... 40 mph is really flying in Manila and there are not many areas where you can get up to those kind of speeds simply because the traffic is so thick.
So basically, in comparison to the States, traffic is much crazier, rules are few and far between, but I would imagine that actual traffic fatalities (not including pedestrian fatalities which I wager happy regularly here) are much less than in the U.S.. Better to have a fender bender at 15 mph in Manila than get T-Boned by some joker running a red light doing 50 mph in the States.
I recommend a trip to Manila for anyone and everyone simply to experience a 45 minute cab ride. It's one of those life experiences that should be mandatory.