Actually if you look at the splatter patterns he obviuosly was in his lane on the right side of the line. We need CSI here.
Walking in TAiwan is dangerous. Driving so much more so. But Riding a motorcycle/scooter in Taiwan is the most dangerous. Like 80 times more dangerous then taking a FreeGo bus on the Freeway probably.
i did only 12,000 KM in Taiwan on two wheels and that was only on a puny honda 50cc Moped. I count myself lucky to have made it even that far. Only thing that happened was that a drunk guy decided not to drive after all (good thing) but he opened his car door so suddenly all i could do was run into it. Lucky i was only going bout 20KPH so not tooo much damage to me or his door cuz i managed to slow down to a crawl before the impact. I remember that TAipei rains all too much for riding around on two wheels. The pollution on two wheels is something else too.
And in the winter months? WOW, it gets cold !!
so for me two wheelin in taiwan = forget bout it.
My GF was lucky to have lived when she was knocked down by a city bus and hurt her knees pretty badly (that was before she met me, cuz afterwards i always forbade her to ride a two wheeler).
when i was there in 99 there seems to have been about one death a day in Taipei city and bout ten deaths a day in Taiwan from motor accidents . And something like over 50pct of those deaths involved a two wheeler.
JUST too doggone dangerous in my book. Probably greater then being a GI in Iraq even.
[quote=“tommy525”]Walking in TAiwan is dangerous. Driving so much more so. But Riding a motorcycle/scooter in Taiwan is the most dangerous. Like 80 times more dangerous then taking a FreeGo bus on the Freeway probably.
i did only 12,000 KM in Taiwan on two wheels and that was only on a puny honda 50cc Moped. I count myself lucky to have made it even that far. Only thing that happened was that a drunk guy decided not to drive after all (good thing) but he opened his car door so suddenly all i could do was run into it. Lucky i was only going bout 20KPH so not tooo much damage to me or his door cuz i managed to slow down to a crawl before the impact. I remember that Taipei rains all too much for riding around on two wheels. The pollution on two wheels is something else too.
And in the winter months? WOW, it gets cold !!
so for me two wheelin in taiwan = forget bout it.
My GF was lucky to have lived when she was knocked down by a city bus and hurt her knees pretty badly (that was before she met me, cuz afterwards i always forbade her to ride a two wheeler).
when i was there in 99 there seems to have been about one death a day in Taipei city and bout ten deaths a day in Taiwan from motor accidents . And something like over 50pct of those deaths involved a two wheeler.
JUST too doggone dangerous in my book. Probably greater then being a GI in Iraq even.[/quote]
That’s ummm…quite the melodramatics (sp?). Myself and lupilus did the math once…you have like a 3% chance of dying on a bike if you ride in Taiwan…BUT that’s only over a 70 year period. There are on average 3 vehicular deaths per day in all of Taiwan. Last year when I worked in a different town and owned a CBR…I was hitting 250km/hr on my way to work…about every other day. I think it’s safer riding a bike in Taiwan since cars here are used to them…try riding a bike in America or Canada where drivers are trained NOT to see bikes…now that’s scary.
[quote=“Mordeth”][quote=“tommy525”]Walking in TAiwan is dangerous. Driving so much more so. But Riding a motorcycle/scooter in Taiwan is the most dangerous. Like 80 times more dangerous then taking a FreeGo bus on the Freeway probably.
i did only 12,000 KM in Taiwan on two wheels and that was only on a puny honda 50cc Moped. I count myself lucky to have made it even that far. Only thing that happened was that a drunk guy decided not to drive after all (good thing) but he opened his car door so suddenly all i could do was run into it. Lucky i was only going bout 20KPH so not tooo much damage to me or his door cuz i managed to slow down to a crawl before the impact. I remember that Taipei rains all too much for riding around on two wheels. The pollution on two wheels is something else too.
And in the winter months? WOW, it gets cold !!
so for me two wheelin in taiwan = forget bout it.
My GF was lucky to have lived when she was knocked down by a city bus and hurt her knees pretty badly (that was before she met me, cuz afterwards i always forbade her to ride a two wheeler).
when i was there in 99 there seems to have been about one death a day in Taipei city and bout ten deaths a day in Taiwan from motor accidents . And something like over 50pct of those deaths involved a two wheeler.
JUST too doggone dangerous in my book. Probably greater then being a GI in Iraq even.[/quote]
That’s ummm…quite the melodramatics (sp?). Myself and lupilus did the math once…you have like a 3% chance of dying on a bike if you ride in Taiwan…BUT that’s only over a 70 year period. There are on average 3 vehicular deaths per day in all of Taiwan. Last year when I worked in a different town and owned a CBR…I was hitting 250km/hr on my way to work…about every other day. I think it’s safer riding a bike in Taiwan since cars here are used to them…try riding a bike in America or Canada where drivers are trained NOT to see bikes…now that’s scary.[/quote]
welll those are indeed comforting statistics. and its a good point that at least vehicle drivers are used to having bikes share the road. IM still shit scared to ride in Taiwan tho !! brrrrrrrrrrr
and i admit that its very exciting to be able to accelerate at the speed of a McLaren F1 (million dollar car) for bout 10,000 dollars american . EXCITING !!!
[quote=“Mordeth”]
That’s ummm…quite the melodramatics (sp?). Myself and lupilus did the math once…you have like a 3% chance of dying on a bike if you ride in Taiwan…BUT that’s only over a 70 year period. There are on average 3 vehicular deaths per day in all of Taiwan. Last year when I worked in a different town and owned a CBR…I was hitting 250km/hr on my way to work…about every other day. I think it’s safer riding a bike in Taiwan since cars here are used to them…try riding a bike in America or Canada where drivers are trained NOT to see bikes…now that’s scary.[/quote]
I think the chance off being killed or seriously injured in trafick is about 1.5% so many ride bikes and since helmets suck and are seldom used or used in the right way, wrong fitt and miniskirt and t-shirt is standard riding gear I think 3% is close.
I also think it’s a good point that the cars here are more used to motorbikes and I think riders with a european or canadian license stand a greater chance of survival so I gues it’s maybe 2-2,5% for those.
The US training I’m not shure about after I see a riding course for the police force over there where they where saying that after that course the police with no rider experience would be bether than the average rider that has done it for 20 years and the course look about the same as the big bike rider course back home, but I gues it is different from state to state and it could be a old film, but I think they are still bether drivers then the Taiwanese since they actualy have a police force there witch pull you over once you broke anny rule.
how do the stats work? 2% chance means that if you aim to ride up 50 times, you’ll probably be dead or seriously injured before you get to 50. 
I also noticed that… I’d like to see how mordeth or anyone else gets to those figures… I’m no expert, but it seems to me that for the statment “an X% chance of death over a lifetime’s riding in Taiwan” to have any valid statistical weight to it at all, you would have to have a formidable amount of input data and something like post graduate level computational statistics ability… 
And you honestly think it’s safer? 
Rather stick with the Suzuki Swift you just bought, mate. Your life expectancy will increase dramatically. 
Stats don’t mean much at all. If one often breaks the laws, regulations, warnings and wears no safety equipment or seatbelt, drives or rides dangerously for a period of time, the one can expect to be involved in an accident.
Everyone I know who has ridden bikes for even a very short period has come off and hurt him/herself enough to miss time off work. Often more than once. Two people personally known to me have died in motorbike accidents in Taiwan during my time there. None in the UK/Ireland. That is significant to me at any rate.
After four yrs of close calls, I myself became a statistic this morning on the way to work. The Fu**ing muppet came from nowhere making a left turn without cheking for oncoming traffic.It just blows my mind to see this sort of thing happen day in and day out! Anyways,I had no choice but to dump my bike,either that or take out a few crossing guards.My rule of thumb in Taiwan is to just drive slowly therefore increasing your reaction time.I broke that rule this morning which resulted in a broken foot and thumb, countless abrasions, and ruined my best pair of dress pants.
The good news is that no one else was hurt.The other guy had a coulpe of minor cuts and a few scatches on his bike.My bike has about 5000 worth of damages,but that didn’t stop him and his toothless relatives from demanding money from me for their inconveniences that I so neglectfully caused them.(But that’s another story)
As everyone here knows,Taiwan’s streets are an accident looking for a place to happen.DRIVE SLOWLY,BE AWARE,AND DON’T BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC!
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!
Sorry, Gomer. couldn’t help myself. Glad you are at least in one piece!
HG
[quote=“gomerpyle”]
As everyone here knows,Taiwan’s streets are an accident looking for a place to happen.DRIVE SLOWLY,BE AWARE,AND DON’T BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC! [/quote]
We’ve talked bout this before. And it’s been proven through studies that the safest speed to drive is about 7km/hr faster than everyone else. This keeps you focused on what’s ahead of you…instead of what’s behind/next to you. And it keeps you seperate from the majority of drivers/riders who are idiots.
So what did you do when they asked for money for turning in front of you?
[quote=“Mordeth”][quote=“gomerpyle”]
As everyone here knows,Taiwan’s streets are an accident looking for a place to happen.DRIVE SLOWLY,BE AWARE,AND DON’T BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC! [/quote]
We’ve talked bout this before. And it’s been proven through studies that the safest speed to drive is about 7km/hr faster than everyone else. This keeps you focused on what’s ahead of you…instead of what’s behind/next to you. And it keeps you separate from the majority of drivers/riders who are idiots.
So what did you do when they asked for money for turning in front of you?[/quote]
I pointed to my injeries and told them to FO. Realiziing I was in no mood for negotiations they left me alone. They were obviously from a poor family, so I have a feeling this might not be over with yet.
[quote=“Mordeth”]…it’s been proven through studies that the safest speed to drive is about 7km/hr faster than everyone else. This keeps you focused on what’s ahead of you…instead of what’s behind/next to you. And it keeps you separate from the majority of drivers/riders…[/quote]Links? References? I read that vague phrase “proven through studies” quite often, usually by people who are trying to sell something, be it health supplements or language teaching methods.
I would be surprised if anyone had found that such an inflexible “rule of thumb” had been proven to be safer than a more flexible approach which emphasised creating space between one’s own and other vehicles through all-round awareness and appropriate (flexible) speed control.
[quote=“joesax”][quote=“Mordeth”]…it’s been proven through studies that the safest speed to drive is about 7km/hr faster than everyone else. This keeps you focused on what’s ahead of you…instead of what’s behind/next to you. And it keeps you separate from the majority of drivers/riders…[/quote]Links? References? I read that vague phrase “proven through studies” quite often, usually by people who are trying to sell something, be it health supplements or language teaching methods.
I would be surprised if anyone had found that such an inflexible “rule of thumb” had been proven to be safer than a more flexible approach which emphasised creating space between one’s own and other vehicles through all-round awareness and appropriate (flexible) speed control.[/quote]
What joesax is saying. 100%
[quote=“gomerpyle”]After four yrs of close calls, I myself became a statistic this morning on the way to work. The Fu**ing muppet came from nowhere making a left turn without cheking for oncoming traffic.It just blows my mind to see this sort of thing happen day in and day out! Anyways,I had no choice but to dump my bike,either that or take out a few crossing guards.My rule of thumb in Taiwan is to just drive slowly therefore increasing your reaction time.I broke that rule this morning which resulted in a broken foot and thumb, countless abrasions, and ruined my best pair of dress pants.
The good news is that no one else was hurt.The other guy had a coulpe of minor cuts and a few scatches on his bike.My bike has about 5000 worth of damages,but that didn’t stop him and his toothless relatives from demanding money from me for their inconveniences that I so neglectfully caused them.(But that’s another story)
As everyone here knows,Taiwan’s streets are an accident looking for a place to happen.DRIVE SLOWLY,BE AWARE,AND DON’T BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC![/quote]
glad you made it ok (relatively) !!!
yes sadly in taiwan it seems that the scooter only takes you to the scene of YOUR accident eventually.
[quote=“bobepine”][quote=“joesax”][quote=“Mordeth”]…it’s been proven through studies that the safest speed to drive is about 7km/hr faster than everyone else. This keeps you focused on what’s ahead of you…instead of what’s behind/next to you. And it keeps you separate from the majority of drivers/riders…[/quote]Links? References? I read that vague phrase “proven through studies” quite often, usually by people who are trying to sell something, be it health supplements or language teaching methods.
I would be surprised if anyone had found that such an inflexible “rule of thumb” had been proven to be safer than a more flexible approach which emphasised creating space between one’s own and other vehicles through all-round awareness and appropriate (flexible) speed control.[/quote]
What joesax is saying. 100%[/quote]
The whole 7km thing is from my motorcyclist magazines. The mag explained which university did the studies…etc…but I’m not going to waste my time digging through all my old mags to find it. Don’t believe me…that’s fine. After all…I’m known for being a liar 
.
i will agree with the magazine study, i also feel alot safer going slightly faster than everyone else… the one time i did ride SLOW (because I was accompanying someone who was newer and not so confident on two wheels) i nearly got taken out by a lancer from behind~~
gomer > go to the accident scene and see if there’s any cameras there… if there is, it should help your case presuming you’re 100% in the right~ and not only that, but you can charge THEM to fix your bike…
[quote=“Mordeth”][quote=“bobepine”][quote=“joesax”][quote=“Mordeth”]…it’s been proven through studies that the safest speed to drive is about 7km/hr faster than everyone else. This keeps you focused on what’s ahead of you…instead of what’s behind/next to you. And it keeps you separate from the majority of drivers/riders…[/quote]Links? References? I read that vague phrase “proven through studies” quite often, usually by people who are trying to sell something, be it health supplements or language teaching methods.
I would be surprised if anyone had found that such an inflexible “rule of thumb” had been proven to be safer than a more flexible approach which emphasised creating space between one’s own and other vehicles through all-round awareness and appropriate (flexible) speed control.[/quote]
What joesax is saying. 100%[/quote]
The whole 7km thing is from my motorcyclist magazines. The mag explained which university did the studies…etc…but I’m not going to waste my time digging through all my old mags to find it. Don’t believe me…that’s fine. After all…I’m known for being a liar .[/quote]It’s not really a question of believing or not believing. (Are you known for being a liar? First I’ve heard of it).
The point is that it’s easy to bring some kind of academic-sounding cachet to a discussion by mentioning “studies”, but unless we know more then this information is useless. Under what conditions were the studies conducted? Over what length of time, in what place, and on what kinds of roads? Was the methodology adequate? Are the effects reproduceable, or have other studies been conducted which refute the data from the original ones?
You can’t have it both ways. Either you get academic about things or you don’t. (This isn’t me with my moderator hat on, by the way. It’s just regular old poster me hoping for a better quality of discussion).