[quote=“shiadoa”]Interesting to consider how this would have ended in Taiwan 
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I don’t understand. Why is the video cut before they take their baseball bats out?
[quote=“tommy525”]
liveleak.com/view?i=bde_1365223495
one person asked the other in the car if he was ok, I venture from the groans that he was NOT ok. Most emphatically NOT OK.[/quote]
and of course the white car just left the scene ASAP. ==;;;;
As I love Taiwan, I do fear its traffic and am shocked that the government doesn’t try to do anything to improve it.
Also, I’ve got my driving license here (never drove a car at home)… and it taught me nothing. It took me 1.5 month to get it, I’ve spent 5 min driving on actual street with the teacher, and only in automatic car (tho I was training at manual, I’m from Europe, and it’s hard to find automatic car there).
3 years after I still do not dare to drive a car here, and am not surprised why other ppl drive like they do… no one taught them too. How often I see parent driving their kids on scooters breaking all possible rules, I bet those kids will drive same way when they grow up, as that’s what they’re used to. I always get a chill down my spine when I see a mother or grandmother (half blind at best) with 2-3 kids without helmets on…
And the police… they simply ignore the bad driving. Even when there’s an accident, as described above, they just slowly stroll onto the scene, no hurry… those victims won’t go anywhere.
[quote=“mukashi”][quote=“tommy525”]
liveleak.com/view?i=bde_1365223495
one person asked the other in the car if he was ok, I venture from the groans that he was NOT ok. Most emphatically NOT OK.[/quote]
and of course the white car just left the scene ASAP. ==;;;;
[/quote]
The white car did not touch the other car.
The driver simply overreacted.
[quote=“Hamletintaiwan”][quote=“mukashi”][quote=“tommy525”]
liveleak.com/view?i=bde_1365223495
one person asked the other in the car if he was ok, I venture from the groans that he was NOT ok. Most emphatically NOT OK.[/quote]
and of course the white car just left the scene ASAP. ==;;;;
[/quote]
The white car did not touch the other car.
The driver simply overreacted.[/quote]
I do think it was guilty, for such close distance I would over react too most likely. He cause the driver to over react at least, and getting help to them would be decent. I am not as great with driving (as I’ve “learned” it here) but I don’t think this kind of squeezing in on highway (which is not a racing track) is safe~
I have driven both a car and a scooter (though now retired from the scoot game) for over a decade in Taiwan, over every part of Taipei City and county and the complete circumference of the island, and every city in between, so I feel I can talk intelligently how people here drive.
The good:
-people are good at parking in tight spots.
-people are good at getting maximum use of the road (though this quick turns negative when the inevitable bottleneck occurs).
-people are confident when two cars pass in a tight alley.
The bad:
-Too many issues to discuss, we all know it we all see it.
WHY (this is most important)?
1-the driving test here is a joke. An artificial environment nothing like the real road where people go to a car buxiban to learn how to cheat and pass the test. no road test, simply an obstacle course that some clown will show you how to memorize.
this make drivers useless nonces when they hit the road, incapable of improvisation.
2-center of the universe complex (lack of empathy). every Taiwanese male thinks he is the center of the universe (not his fault, he is brought up this way), so cutting in line, cutting someone off, doing something illegal (like cutting across traffic instead of doubling back) is completely acceptable if there is a positive outcome for him.
3-most people cut their driving teeth on scooters. horrible habits are learned here, and often transferred to four wheels.
4-poor eyesight (a problem exasperated by the frequency of rain).
5-sleep deprivation (a national plague, with the exception of females I have dated who seem to have no problem sleeping away the weekend).
6-not enough fast driving on the regular. if you live in Taipei, you rarely drive fast, and you rarely drive for long periods without stopping. Once you hit the open road you are not aware or do not respect the danger speed brings. EVERYONE tailgates on the freeway, passes on the inside because they do so in the city and they totally disregard the distances needed for safety when travelling 90km/h plus.
7-hand eye coordination. Not enough youth sports and a general lack of sporting culture. many drivers lack reaction time and ‘cool under fire’ skills necessary to navigate dangerous situations.
8-lack of decision making. Another national plague, from the country’s status, all the way down to which way you walk past someone on the sidewalk, people here hate to make a decision, and the TWese who are willing to make decisions can go very far in life.
The white driver is guilty of passing on the right in a non-lane and being a general idiot when it comes to traffic laws and how to drive. Everyone else in the video is guilty of being terrible human beings for driving past the scene without even thinking about stopping to help the blue driver.
I don’t know what I was thinking yesterday!
Have anyone drive to Taoyuan International Airport at night? Yesterday, I drove to terminal 1 from NanKan and intended to test road signages and traffic flow in Taoyuan International Airport. It almost killed me.
- I couldn’t see road signage and went to wrong direction.
2.Bus in front of me, suddently stopped and attempted to get into Eva Cargo warehouse. Wait we just make left turn and you suddently want to make right turn.
3.Lack of lighting in Airport and you got construction site for terminal 1 in the middle of the road.
4.I wish there is road reflectors on the road so I can see which line I am driving. I could not see road line.
5.What the hell! I was barely to see small vehcile entrance signage in parking no.2. I went to entrace for taxi driver.
many drivers in taiwan got their training at Darwin Skool of hard knocks.
[quote=“shiadoa”]and I present the reason for so many accidents. Riders forget to engage their brain before setting off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5iEM1L7-Jjo[/quote]
Maybe ten years back I was waiting in my car for my wife. Four young people get into the car in front of me, with a young female driving. She starts the car throws the car into gear and hits the gas hard. According to wife, zooming away was the new cool thing to do. Only twathead had the car in reverse. Smashed right into the front of my car. Fortunately she couldn’t do much damage as she was only a metre ahead of me.
No engaging of brain. I think it has something to do with the way so many people treat experiences here as if they were some kind of meta-event, like watching yourself in a movie. So riding a bike is not about the exercise or the real wind in your hair but the feeling you have you are doing something that reminds you of something you want to do. Kung Fu movies are also to blame as they teach people you can get super skills without any practise.
I also think it has to do with a lack of sports playing as DD says. People can’t read a field here. They think if a space is open it will always be open Other drivers are not autonomous creatures who might act spontaneously.
Trying to stop on a highway just after an accident could get you killed. I’m not sure they did the wrong thing here.
Traffic is also a major cause of embarrassment.
[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“shiadoa”]and I present the reason for so many accidents. Riders forget to engage their brain before setting off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5iEM1L7-Jjo[/quote]
Maybe ten years back I was waiting in my car for my wife. Four young people get into the car in front of me, with a young female driving. She starts the car throws the car into gear and hits the gas hard. According to wife, zooming away was the new cool thing to do. Only twathead had the car in reverse. Smashed right into the front of my car. Fortunately she couldn’t do much damage as she was only a metre ahead of me.
No engaging of brain. I think it has something to do with the way so many people treat experiences here as if they were some kind of meta-event, like watching yourself in a movie. So riding a bike is not about the exercise or the real wind in your hair but the feeling you have you are doing something that reminds you of something you want to do. Kung Fu movies are also to blame as they teach people you can get super skills without any practise.
I also think it has to do with a lack of sports playing as DD says. People can’t read a field here. They think if a space is open it will always be open Other drivers are not autonomous creatures who might act spontaneously.[/quote]
It is quite unbelievable ,I know. Speaking to an English friend today,he told me that you just accept it in Taiwan,otherwise you would be so stressed ,constantly.
I am managing with things like no pavements/sidewalks,lack of planning sense etc. What I struggle with is the point you made. Total stupidity and lack of thought on the roads.Young children on scooters,sans helmets,just annoys me because they have no choice. everyone seems oblivious to any danger,even when they see it daily. Registration-wise it just seems to go in one ear and out of the other.See people every day set off without even a glance,set off with no lights on in the dark,running red lights,way after they change etc etc,. I am frustrated because the Government is too weak to enforce traffic laws.
Heard a new Radio advert today,telling people to wear bright clothing on the roads…because older drivers have difficulty seeing people wearing dull clothing !!! :loco:
[quote=“Nuit”]Traffic is also a major cause of embarrassment.
[/quote]
I would like to tell that man, you are riding on wrong side of the road.
didnt faze him one bit, just got up and carried on. Just another day in paradise.
Astonishingly stupid. Unless you’ve lived here for more than 3 months.
I can’t seem to embed these.
But I am shocked people are trying to help here:
[quote=“cake”]I can’t seem to embed these.
[/quote]
There was an “NR=1&” bit in the string that was messing things up. I’ll check it out.
[quote=“Nuit”][quote=“cake”]
[/quote]
Astonishingly stupid. Unless you’ve lived here for more than 3 months.[/quote]
his helmet came off and he landed in front of the camera car. I dont think he survived.
[quote=“cake”]I can’t seem to embed these.
But I am shocked people are trying to help here:
[/quote]
and once again the one that caused this seems to have gotten away?