I’ve heard from Taiwanese people that Taiwanese people are actually highly skilled drivers
In a lot of cases I think it’s deliberate rather than accidental, the belief seems to be that I’m now in front, even if it’s only by cm’s, therefore you are the vehicle behind and what happens next is your problem.
Pedestrian hit by left turning driver and gets knocked away pretty far. Another turning driver parks his car to block part of the road to prevent the pedestrian from getting hit again.
Driver says his view was blocked…
Another pedestrian hit by a left turning driver. Fortunately the driver brakes last seconds and the pedestrian just gets bumped. According to the poster the police were called.
Another drunk driver. Slams on the accelerator at the red light and hits multiple people before crashing into the road divider.
Driver on drugs hits a food delivery rider and flips their truck onto its side. The driver just says he’ll pay money. Earlier the driver had ran a red light as well. Second part of video is driver on the shoulder failing to yield for a scooter on the road and making an illegal U-turn across double yellows. This driver is insanely drunk, blowing a 1.18.
Well this is awkward…residents in Keelung are upset over police being called multiples times over their illegal parking which blocks the road or takes up most of the space, forcing drivers to cross into oncoming traffic lane or across double yellows.
Another driver caught with a fake license plate. Oh and he’s also unlicensed. He was taking his wife and kid to Shilin night market.
An illegally parked vehicle blocks the road. Surprisingly it’s not the blue truck in the video. In front of him is another car that is blocking him. The truck drivers honks his horn for a couple seconds and the owner comes out from across the street and is mad so he spits at the truck drivers and opens the door and hits the driver.
What’s dumber than the mandatory hook turns? The drivers who think they are parking spaces and park there in the intersection. Another driver parked in one and got his vehicle towed.
Truck driver illegally parks at a bus stop and gets mad that he is getting towed and even starts giving the police officer some attitude before threatening the officer with a pair of scissors.
Also look at how absurdly wide that shoulder is…it’s just one traffic lane and the rest is all just the shoulder and still no sidewalk.
Right before this spot there’s a green sidewalk that just ends.
No room for the sidewalk to continue due to all the illegal parking.
the bus stop
A very Taiwan story. 2 cars fail to drive in accordance with the lane markings and just end up crossing lanes without signaling. It’s one of those roads where the lanes zig-zag because the highway bureau/Taichung have no idea how to make a straight lane for the main road. A couple of aunties start walking into the road despite it still being a red light for pedestrians (there is a crossing light here) and the white car slows down and the red car behind is following too close and just rear ends the white car.
Even without the pedestrians running the red the orange light already came on so the red car probably still would’ve hit the white car if the driver decided to brake for the orange anyways.
The scooter lanes in the soon to be open Danjiang Bridge in Tamsui-Bali are something else. The “engineers” must have the goal of causing as much crashes as possible, with bonus points for amputations and other gruesome injuries when people are sent flying over that tiny barrier and against lamp posts and suspension cables.
Mark my words. It’s going to happen.
Because nobody here believes scooters are going to ride in a single line without trying daredevil overtakes, right?
Only thing suprising about this one is they didn’t put bicycles in together with the motorcycles/scooters this time.
Isn’t it great that “slow” vehicles that can’t legally be on motorways, expressways and even some inner lanes of regular roads can be legally manufactured and sold with motorway capable top speeds?
It totally makes sense to me that urban vehicles can make it to 90 or whatever.
Also, roundabouts might not work in Taiwan, but lazy intersections aren’t making a great job either.
I think they should put an ambulance stationed 24 hours a day at the bridge exit. The TV channels will have new reports soon, lol.
Stroads and psychos
Just happened today. Gravel truck crashes into multiple vehicles. 7 injured.
Woman in her 90s and her foreign caretaker hit by a blue truck. They are walking along the side of the road as there are no sidewalks in that side. The truck driver easily could’ve gone around them with no problems, but he still hit them. Both the caretaker and the elderly woman suffered fractures and were rushed to the hospital. There’s only a narrow sidewalk on the other side of the road.
I agree. On the coastal expressway a driver overtakes on the right of a motorcyclyst in the outer lane and sideswipes him, causing him to crash.
I was often tempted to kick people’s cars because they put them close enough to me, what stopped me was fear that they would just simply run me over
At times it can feel like some police will do their best to overlook such dangerous driving 
I recently had a dangerous driving report fail after a driver had tried to run into me multiple times while he was going across double yellows into oncoming traffic lane in a school zone and then after finally overtaking me on double yellows going into an interaction with a scooter riding in the oncoming lane, he slammed on the brakes after getting in front of me. Apparently that’s not enough evidence for dangerous driving.
Just looking at how people drive at the slip lanes where you have to yield to through traffic is maddening…tons of people just driving right into groups of people on scooters/motorcycles and forcing their way through when they literally just have to wait 5s and the road will more or less be cleared of traffic. I’ve even seen police officers do that on their scooters…a pair of them overtaking on the right side of a car in the slip lane that is waiting for traffic to clear and suddenly pulling out and almost causing the guy behind me to swerve into a big trucks wheels. I think I still have the dashcam video of it somewhere.
I just remember something that I still think is stupid. A TRAFFIC police officer, not a regular officer, but one from the traffic brigade, warned me to not be in one of the traffic lanes. Why? Because there was no motorcycle/scooter waiting area at the front at the intersection, so therefore I couldn’t ride in that lane. He’s a traffic police officer…who also was riding a scooter while on duty. None of the lanes on that entire section banned motorcycles, but the only determining factor for him was that there was no motorcycle waiting box at the front…
Changhua City Representative Wu Shumin (吳淑敏) says the sidewalk curb extension at the intersection in front of a school is dangerous…
Gemini AI translation of post:
During a site inspection by the Changhua City Council, I raised concerns regarding the intersection of Zhang-Tai Junior High School and Da-Cheng Elementary School. Specifically, at the corner of Taian 1st Street, the sidewalk protrudes excessively. This forces motorcycles and passenger cars to steer toward the inside of the lane; otherwise, the right side of the vehicle will collide with the edge of the pedestrian signal waiting area. I would like to thank Chairman Chen Wen-pin for personally driving the route to experience the issue I described.
I earnestly request the Changhua City Office and the County Government to review and improve this layout. Please consider the safety of turning from the perspective of actual drivers and riders! Vehicles are hitting the corner of the turn. To avoid it, drivers must swerve left—isn’t that dangerous? What about merging with oncoming traffic? Does the signal waiting area really need to be this large? How long does the student commute actually last? It’s so big you could pitch a tent on it! What about driving safety? What about vehicle damage?
While the sidewalks have become more beautiful and spacious, this feels like a case of overcorrection. The road width here is only a few meters wide…
For context it looks like the traffic lanes were not narrowed at all or a tiny amount at most. Really it’s just optimizing the use of road space. Road side parking is now made into the parking bay style with the extension of the curbs which also significantly reduces pedestrian crossing distance and time just by reducing the wasted space.
These roads were always 1 lane in each direction.
Here’s one side in front of the schools before. So much space for sidewalks and parking.
Isn’t it terrifying that these people can use their driver’s license and just go to Japan and start driving without even a test or an instructional video…
Two people almost screwed over…saved by dashcams.
In this first one an idiot on a scooter is swerving around traffic and hits someone on the right before turning into a side road. The rider that was hit though it was the cammer who past by him going straight and when reporting to the police the police said the cammer was the one who did a hit and run. Fortunately thanks to his dashcam video he was fine, otherwise he could’ve been screwed over.
Another one is police without understanding the situation go onto to report that a driver made a dangerous overtake on the right of a gravel truck causing a multi vehicle crash and sending themselves up onto the concrete divider. Afterwards it comes out that the truck driver basically did a pit maneuver on the other driver who was simply going straight in their lane which sent them across the road and into the road divider. Originally the police were blaming the victims, but dashcam footage from another vehicle showed the truck suddenly moving over right into them. Police said they will now re-examine the case.
For good measure a few people running red lights and hitting multiple people.
Lady driving to the hospital to visit her son runs a red light and drives into multiple people. The driver had taken the road license test 6 times, but has yet to pass. So she was driving without a license. The irony of it all is her son is in the hospital because he was in a vehicular accident…
and whatever this nonsense is. Ridiculous. The car in front of him also ran the red light as well.
People can’t understand how a stop sign/marking works? Okay, let’s put in a sign with lights and install sensors to turn on those lights when there is traffic coming. Just another thing that will be ignored because some of the most basic driving/riding skills are non-existent. What a waste of money. There’s already a stop road marking.
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Streetview on Google maps:
Apologies if this was already posted. Van driver ignores height warning (both written and tactile) with a predictable result. The TD on the license plate indicates this is a type of taxi, so I’m not surprised at the driving at all.
Here’s the full video.
This morning a driver in her 70s drove into a 85 C cafe and killed a customer inside…
The driver turned off the road and was pulling into the parking space in front of the cafe when she suddenly accelerated and drove into the store and hit a customer.
Update to the case of a driver in Kaoshiung suddenly driving into the sidewalk and hitting a 61yr. old Japanese tourist right in front of her son. The victim eventually died from her injuries. The driver received a 1yr. 8 month sentence. The driver already appealed the sentence he received but the 1yr. 8 month sentence was upheld. This was the sentencing with no settlement between the victim’s family and the driver…
The judge said that the driver’s negligence and pain caused to the victim’s family was taken into account…
At the time the reason the driver claims he veered off of the road is because he was nervous after seeing a police officer on the other side of the intersection who was only guiding traffic…
Gemini AI Translation of news:
An elderly man driving a small truck in Kaohsiung’s Cianjin District last March veered off the road and onto a sidewalk, striking a Japanese female tourist. The victim, identified by the surname Ikeda, was visiting Taiwan at the time. She passed away from her injuries after being hospitalized for two weeks. In the first trial, the Kaohsiung District Court sentenced the driver, a 73-year-old man named Zhang, to one year and eight months in prison for negligent homicide. Zhang appealed the decision, but the second-instance court upheld the original ruling.
The incident occurred at approximately 4:20 PM on March 15 of last year. Zhang was driving northbound on Zhonghua 4th Road. While passing through the Zhonghua-Wufu roundabout after the light turned green, he reportedly experienced a momentary distraction. His vehicle drifted to the right and accelerated rapidly over the next eight seconds. Without braking or slowing down, the truck mounted the sidewalk at the northeastern end of the roundabout.
At the time, the victim and her son were walking on the sidewalk. While the son was able to dodge the vehicle, his mother was struck violently by the front right side of the truck and fell.
The victim suffered severe injuries and underwent multiple major surgeries, including the placement of an ECMO machine, resection of the right lower and middle lung lobes, and liver packing for hemostasis. Despite these efforts, she succumbed to multiple organ failure, septic shock, and severe encephalopathy on the morning of April 1.
During the first trial, the Kaohsiung District Court noted the gravity of Zhang’s negligence and the lasting pain caused to the victim’s family. While a settlement was not reached, the judge reasoned that the responsibility for this could not be placed entirely on Zhang, given the various socioeconomic factors involved. Taking into account that Zhang confessed to the offense and displayed a generally acceptable attitude after the incident, the court handed down a sentence of one year and eight months. Zhang appealed, but after reviewing the case, the Kaohsiung Branch of the High Court concluded that the original judgment was legally sound and the sentencing appropriate, leading to the dismissal of the appeal. The case has not yet reached a final verdict.
Japanese Female Tourist Struck and Killed on Kaohsiung Sidewalk, Driver’s Sentence of 1 Year and 8 Months Upheld in Second Trial
(CNA, Kaohsiung, April 17) A 73-year-old man in Kaohsiung, surnamed Zhang, was driving through the Zhonghua-Wufu roundabout when he became distracted, veered off the lane, and accelerated onto the sidewalk, striking and killing a Japanese female tourist visiting Taiwan. The Kaohsiung District Court sentenced him to one year and eight months for negligent homicide in the first trial. The Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the original sentence.
The first-instance judgment from the Kaohsiung District Court stated that on March 15, 114th year of the Republic of China (2025) at approximately 4:00 PM, Zhang was driving his small truck northbound on Zhonghua 4th Road in Cianjin District, Kaohsiung. After passing the pedestrian crossing at the south end of the Zhonghua-Wufu roundabout, Zhang became momentarily distracted and veered to the right. Within eight seconds, he accelerated from 30 km/h to 58 km/h, exceeding the local speed limit of 50 km/h.
Without braking or slowing down, Zhang drove directly onto the sidewalk at the northeastern end of the roundabout, striking a 61-year-old Japanese female tourist who was walking along the sidewalk. Her son, who was with her, managed to dodge and was uninjured. After being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, the tourist succumbed to multiple organ failure, septic shock, and severe multiple fractures throughout her body, and was declared dead on April 1 of the same year.
During the trial at the Kaohsiung District Court, the judge considered that in broad daylight with good road conditions, Zhang had veered and sped onto the sidewalk due to a momentary distraction, causing the victim to die in a foreign land and her family to lose a loved one. Although Zhang confessed to the crime after the incident, the two parties had not reached a settlement as they still needed time to calculate details such as compensation and emotional damages.
Furthermore, the judge considered that since a police officer was present and witnessed the incident during the commission of the crime, it did not meet the criteria for a surrender, and sentenced him to one year and eight months in prison for negligent homicide.
The case was appealed to the second instance. The Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Court deemed that the original judgment’s findings and application of law were appropriate, dismissed the appeal, and maintained the original sentence. The case is still subject to further appeal.
@Andrew0409 had said he believes Taiwanese drivers are highly skilled. I wonder if he long ago muted this thread. Here we see a move from a professional Taiwanese driver which should surprise none of us. It’s like the Dunning Kruger effect of driving skills. Too unskilled to know how unskilled they are. Dude might think he is a highly skilled driver, but he can’t out drive basic physics (and most high schoolers in the west could probably pass that test, even if they would struggle with the mathy bits)
See, the skills again! How many other drivers would be able to leave the road, enter a building that isn’t even made for cars, and manage to hit a small target (human being) while going fast enough to kill them? Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could do that. Skills people
Yea thats pretty insane.
Gonna be a lot of pissed off people stuck behind either a bicycle or somebody going the legal speed limit.
A truck driver damaged an ancient bridge where we are based in the UK a month ago or so when there were signs that he shouldn’t drive there.
I just came back from the US and a drive up and down the highway you’ll see all those injury lawyer ads for truck accidents for a reason.
I visited my friend’s church last sunday in Dallas, on the way there it was raining and a Mustang in front us got caught staring at an accident with Police and I think must have jerked the wheel and spun out in front of us almost hitting a worker trying to tow the car.
Coming out of the Church, somehow we walked by someone who backed into another car. I joked that we should probably go home that day if we might be causing all of these.
These things happen.
As I’ve said, I’ve got 0 issues driving in Taiwan like most places by understanding how to drive with the local culture.
How to drive with the local Taiwanese culture:
- Dont stop at red lights. As a man with a car you always have the right of way. Even against red lights and oncoming traffic.
- Feel free to park anywhere. The world is your free parking space. Pedestrian crossing? No problem!
- Mirrors ? What are those. No need to check them in Taiwan. Stick curtains up in your car windows if you want so you cant see a thing, it doesn’t matter cus using a mirror is dangerous anyway!
- Afraid you will feel ashamed of your bad driving and worried what others will think? No problem! Black out all the windows. Everyone is doing it!
- Feel bored when driving? No problem! Feel free to doom scroll on your phone. Don’t worry there is nothing dangerous about that! And the more phones and tablets in one car the better!
- Speed limits? So mafan. In taiwan you dont need to pay attention unless you are near a speed camera. For the rest of the time feel free to drive 20,30, 40kmh+ over the speed limit.
- Yellow light? In bizzaro world outside of taiwan that might mean get ready to stop but here in Taiwan a yellow light actually means speed up. Without exception. Even if it changes to red!