Yes, but it’s THEIR home too, don’t forget. I’m all for removing dangerous and irresponsible behavior. Just don’t confuse something certain Westerners wouldn’t do with dangerous. I wish more people in my home country drove like the Taiwanese. I’m also happy to say that most foreigners I know have adapted to Taiwanese driving with aplomb. It only seems to be a minority–vocal as Hell, but a minority, nonetheless–who endlessly complain about it.
My feeling is, if you think it is really so dangerous to drive, its best to pack in the license and stick to buses, MRT, and taxis.
My biggest concern with drivers here is not the fact they run lights, drive the wrong way, or a million other “illegal” things, but the complete unawareness of their surroundings. If there is going to be ANY enforcement, it should start with giving fines to careless drivers, that is, people that are completely clueless about anything around them and drive in a fashion that is dangerous to those around them. It is not a regulation enforcement issue. It is a awareness issue that needs to be addressed first by the police.
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[quote=“dan2006”]My feeling is, if you think it is really so dangerous to drive, its best to pack in the license and stick to buses, MRT, and taxis.
My biggest concern with drivers here is not the fact they run lights, drive the wrong way, or a million other “illegal” things, but the complete unawareness of their surroundings. If there is going to be ANY enforcement, it should start with giving fines to careless drivers, that is, people that are completely clueless about anything around them and drive in a fashion that is dangerous to those around them. It is not a regulation enforcement issue. It is a awareness issue that needs to be addressed first by the police.[/quote]
This.
Thanks, if anyone thinks a recording or reporting changes something, wake up.
Unfortunately, this system is mis-used for small things.
I got 3 times fined, each time 1,200 NTD
nd not for a serious traffic violation.
One time, parking at a bank, waiting for my friend, smoking, threw the cigarette on the street, a car behind me parking filmed that and I got a fine (1,200)
Second time, a Taxi followed me on highway number 3 and reported me that I didn’t use the traffic lights to change the lane.
You see the irony?
So feel free to join this rat pack
[quote=“tom1807”]
One time, parking at a bank, waiting for my friend, smoking, threw the cigarette on the street, a car behind me parking filmed that and I got a fine (1,200)[/quote]
This makes me happy. Thank you.
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Going through red lights is a complete no no for me. That just shouldn’t be tolerated.
Driving through pedestrians on right turn as it car had the right of way, dangerous.
Driving scooters on footpaths too.
I’ve got little kids, if they get hit even by a scooter it’s really dangerous, and what about old folks?
I bump people on scooters (what, your helmet drove into my hand … 
) all the time or simply stand in their way, it’s really comical when they figure out Im not going to move. I figure they deserve it for getting so close to my kids on the pavement. I think they know that too to be honest.
The other stuff is annoying and perhaps impolite but not so dangerous.
[quote=“dan2006”]My feeling is, if you think it is really so dangerous to drive, its best to pack in the license and stick to buses, MRT, and taxis.
My biggest concern with drivers here is not the fact they run lights, drive the wrong way, or a million other “illegal” things, but the complete unawareness of their surroundings. If there is going to be ANY enforcement, it should start with giving fines to careless drivers, that is, people that are completely clueless about anything around them and drive in a fashion that is dangerous to those around them. It is not a regulation enforcement issue. It is a awareness issue that needs to be addressed first by the police.[/quote]
It can’t be done like that in Taiwan Dan.
They will just plead to the police and the police end up letting them off. The law breaking must be very clear and defined.
If they are connected or in a fancy car the police won’t touch them.
In many cases they wouldn’t even know what they did wrong.
It really goes back to the shit driver education , Taiwan is so FAR behind on that.
[quote=“headhonchoII”]
Going through red lights is a complete no no for me. That just shouldn’t be tolerated.
Driving through pedestrians on right turn as it car had the right of way, dangerous.
Driving scooters on footpaths too.[/quote]
All of these things are fine when done with due care and attention. And neither you, your kids, nor old people are in any real danger on the sidewalks. You know this. The Taiwanese are really good about that kind of stuff. Your annoyance is clouding the obvious: they don’t want to hit pedestrians any more than pedestrians want to be hit by them. Everyone gets along just fine, and it’s all rather harmonious. You need to lighten up. Seriously. You’re giving others a misinformed impression of Taiwan because you want this country to fit into your little mold of ideal, which is disingenuous for anyone to do.
Yes, better driver training would assist with the alertness and attention that Dan2006 mentioned.
Sorry, don’t agree. My kids are very small so they are hard to see, no way somebody can stop in time if they are barrelling along the sidewalk or through a red light. I’ve had to deal with red light runners, people driving too fast through junctions, people driving on the wrong side of the road (cars/bikes/scooters), delivery people on the sidewalks driving at speed, scooters and cars blocking all exits and entry to the pavement. That’s Taiwan. It’s all about ‘me’.
BTW my kids are Taiwanese and my Taiwanese wife also hates this behaviour especially now that she has kids and is shamed by it.
All the behaviours I’ve mentioned I have a problem with are illegal. Driving scooters on the sidewalk is illegal, and if somebody does that they should expect to be called out for it especially around kids.
I don’t need to lighten up, if somebody hit my kids due to their carelessness they’d pay for it one way or the other, people here need to improve their driving and obey safety regulations, you’ve got it arse backwards.
It doesn’t matter if they don’t INTEND to hit pedestrians when breaking the law, just like a drunk driver doesn’t INTEND to hit somebody on their way from the pub. Somebody speeding at 200km/hour doesn’t INTEND to crash and burn and take others with them, but they do.
PS- ‘Everybody gets along just fine’.
Is that why the tire irons come out in a row? 
Drinking and driving is a whole other topic. Don’t bring it into this discussion. Those guys driving on the sidewalk don’t want to hit anyone. Simple as that. Your fear is clouding you from realizing it. If you’d just lighten up and objectively observe, you’d see that people seldom get injured. Funny how it works that way–especially considering your feeling that a lot of people must get injured–but it does.
Don’t hide behind the law. It’s illegal for now, yes. The Taiwanese prove on a daily basis that it isn’t dangerous if you pay attention. That’s why the police don’t enforce it strictly, and they’re right not to. Nobody should be called out or punished for anything that isn’t dangerous. The law is a fallback when necessary, like rush hour, but it’s not necessarily the best way to handle traffic under most conditions.
Yes, you do need to lighten up, despite all your protesting that your uptightness is the best way to deal with it. Don’t endlessly whine and complain. That gets you nowhere, and makes it unpleasant for others to be around you in the process. Learn how to deal with local practices as best as you can, whichever country you are in. Be careful and alert. If you need a hearing aid or glasses, by all means get those. They’ll help you be more aware of your environment, and I’ve heard lots of people comment how the quality of their life improved afterwards. Night and day difference. Teach your children to be attentive and alert as well, and teach them to be considerate of other cultures and customs.
Because, you know, I’d be a very horrible person if I went to your country and started complaining about how your society did things and that my ideas were superior.
I know you are trolling so you’d best be on your way.
‘Best Practices’ :roflmao:
You are 'aving a laugh mate. What best practices would they be? TROLL.
I ignore most of the scooter riders on the pavement and most of the crappy driving, but when they get too close or pull some shit, it’s their problem. All parents will look after their kids.
I would feel the same way wherever I am, so does my wife. I don’t need to accept scooters barreling along pavements straight at me or cars going through red lights. Nope. And for once I’ve got the law on my side. What, you ran into my elbow, how unfortunate you weren’t looking out for other people and just want your convenience and don’t care about other people’s convenience or little kids safety. It’s the sharp elbow of the law. 
I live in Taiwan, and I do my best not to give the Taiwanese the impression I somehow think my ideas are superior–because they’re not. I also objectively observe the traffic situation around me. I admit, I was a bit of a twat when I first came, thinking that the locals couldn’t drive. I even said that to someone. However, once I got over myself–which I wholeheartedly encourage all people to do, by the way–I came to realize that it wasn’t as bad as I’d first thought it was. Then I started to understand how it worked, and now I can accept it. Observing and understanding were key. The traffic here is not as bad as you would have us believe.
It’s not ME saying it, Taiwanese say it too, read the thread, look outside, drive on the streets. It’s not Beirut, it’s not China, but it is bad. When Taiwanese (and ethnic Chinese) get in cars, well you see the way people walk on pavements and seem to have little awareness , stopping suddenly, filling all available space, I don’t know is it a genetic thing or due to them growing up in what are human bee hives or something 
.
The traffic here is absolutely horrible. Most locals have no clue how to drive safely.
O_o
Now you can not complain about the things that are obviously problems or plainly wrong because this is not your country, otherwise you’ll be such a jerk…
I don’t buy in.
Yes, but we have people like that where I come from, too, and the traffic there is more to your liking. And, yes, I encourage all people to look out the window and observe the traffic situation for themselves, rather than going by just one person’s interpretation–yours or mine.
Complain about human rights and crime, but not about things that aren’t really dangerous.
This thread is about traffic violations. It seems to me quite natural to end up talking about the traffic violations that annoy you the most. And believe it or not, the things headboncho the second complains about can be dangerous.
Almost anything can be dangerous if done without due care and attention. Traffic in Taiwan can be hectic at times, but a lot of what he lists seldom causes accidents because most locals–contrary to the post above–do it safely. It’s just a minority of people who aren’t very careful when they drive. With so much traffic on the roads, a little care and attention goes a long way to keeping everyone safe.
I went to the supermarket this afternoon and saw–and committed!!!–all kinds of traffic violations. I’ll have you know that everyone did it safely and deftly. No one was hurt. And that’s par for the course when driving in Taiwan.
I have to concur that your ideas are, indeed, not superior but more “Walter Mitty”. This is not the ridiculous “When in Rome” argument and it involves the right to personal safety and the Politics surrounding the failure to recognize and enforce that ideal in Taiwan. There are many reasons , most of which are ludicrous, for the lack of training and enforcement on this Island. We can stand by like sheeple and say “it’s none of my business”, or we can make an effort to reduce Deaths and serious injury , at least by highlighting the issue. It can be improved, dramatically , with training and I believe it’s worth a try. Observing and understanding seem to the things you have the least grasp of IMO 
I can only imagine how much more pollution there would be , using your ethos…
It is the place you live also and I for one will try to play my small part to make it safer …for everyone… because I think it’s worthwhile.