During the few times I was given the privilege to walk the streets of London, one thing that stuck me the most was the motorists’ discipline when approaching a zebra lane. A Londoner friend of mine explained to me that, by law, a motorist is bound to give way as soon as a pedestrian steps onto the zebra lane to cross. As someone who has been driving a lot here in the Philippines, giving way to pedestrians is not one of the things I think about when driving. Even as a pedestrian, I still think that I have to be extra careful and smart when crossing the street, because motorists do not often give way.
Beginning last year, I taught myself to give way to pedestrians, even if I am positively certain that I can zoom past the lane before the pedestrian gets into my path. It was not easy. There were moments when I would be selfish and not mind the pedestrians trying to cross. After several months of trying to unlearn and relearn how to drive when there are pedestrians—by starting to do something—I am becoming more mindful of being safe, not only with regard to pedestrians, while on the road.