Pinoy Auto BlogThe Philippines' Premier Automotive and Car Blog

If there is one thing familiar to you these days, it is that of banning the use of mobile phones while driving. It has become customary to answer calls or text messages regardless if you are on the road. Through this, the growing number of car accidents have swelled mainly because a single second of taking your eyes of the road can lead to dire consequences which most drivers today totally disregard.

This is really a habit that should be corrected. Actually, drivers know that this should not be done and yet they continue to disregard such. Keeping your eyes on the road is a must and this includes being on a full stop or on the move. People claim that they need to answer their messages or calls but perhaps if they would consider what would happen if they bump into another car or worst, a person due to their hard-headedness.

To date, there have been laws where drivers who use their mobile phones will be apprehended. Not a bad way to make people to stop texting while driving. But what if they are using a heavily dark tinted vehicle? How will the traffic enforcers or police be able to know if the people are indeed using their phones while they are on the go?

The sad thing about society is that people always want to live on the forbidden side. Texting while driving is something that doesn’t need to be enforced by law. But since people are so enthusiastic about using their phones while driving, more lives are being claimed by the day. Hopefully though it will not be yours.

In a time where finances are much of a burden, people are turning towards public transportation to get to their point of destination. For the time being that the economy is on a turnstile, sacrifices which include that of using your own car is not only a necessity but an option.

Through all of this you have to wonder how cars will fare. This covers both brand new and second hand vehicles in the market. In short, to gain extra income for rising expenses, selling your car may be an option. But that is if someone will buy it.

Through the years we have seen a lot of Filipinos buying second hand cars like the usual Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic or even the Mazda 323. But today, people have stayed away from them, seeing them as additional expenses as far as fuel and car maintenance is concerned. On the average you can expect to spend at least PHP 5,000.00 on a car for maintenance while gasoline varies depending on your destination. And no thanks to the regular price increases, people are left with nothing much to spend for gas these days.

For the brand new vehicles, who in his right mind can afford to spare on the average PHP 700,000.00 to PHP 1,000,000 on a car these days? They can always use the financial assistance from banks but can you handle the monthly amortization that ranges from PHP12,000.00 to PHP25,000.00 a month? That is like spending rent on an apartment and perhaps your monthly utilities and groceries already.

The point here is that cars are a luxury. While we all want to live in it, we just have to face the fact that now is not a great time to pursue it. We can dream of buying a car. But let us wait for the right time to do it.

Hybrid cars are the new demand these days, no thanks to the growing problems of continuous oil and fuel price hikes. While we see this is as a good resolution, obviously we will have to sacrifice a lot of things such as comfort and style. Hybrid cars are modernized looking cars that are getting close to what we all had in mind when we were projecting the future look of transportation.

The latest batch of hybrid cars do have that futuristic look but apparently, the usual leg room and the mileage that we normally get from the traditional vehicles will have to be modified a bit, a lot of it pointing towards issues that will definitely not sit well with most people looking for luxury when it comes to getting places.

Apparently the shift towards modernized hybrid cars will have its impact. Some may like it while others will not. But this early there are bound to be limited options considering car manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota have only begun developing these cars at present. Notable is the Toyota Prius which has gotten a lot of attention in the process. Honda is not far behind and expect other ones trying to stay afoot with them as the demand for alternative modes of transportation is gearing up.

Cost-wise, there will be other factors such as alternative fuel that will headline the news. Compatibility will certainly be something since alternative fuel development will be needed. That is perhaps one hindrance that most car manufacturers have to contend with since engines of these hybrid cars will have their share of fuel preferences. Better yet, if they can accommodate these bio-fuels and the traditional gasoline (assuming they stabilize in the future) would be great alternatives. You just never know when everything may go back to normal hence these considerations are on the car manufacturers line of developmental issues.