Wow, yes expensive. Glad Taiwan is much cheaper. To be fair, other things cost more in USA.
I always LOVE parking a truck on Minzu and Boai roads in Kaohsiung. Specifically because the scooters and cars are such a careful, cautious and curteous bunch!
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Watch out for the heavier motorcycles… half the time they love to go real fast, and they are often driving the kind that demands an expert hand, except they’re not.
Today saw a news about a heavy motorcycle ending up inside a Mercedes.
Don’t think so. Haven’t been there for years, but I am more relaxed driving in Taiwan, even with all the scooters and maniacs here.
Thing is, people in Germany tend to drive faster and not just on the Autobahn. Well-paved, straight, and empty roads + lots of horse power in many cars and bikes + lots of Formula One and MotoGP wannabees… do the math. Might be safer in city centers, but horrific accidents happen on country roads and the Autobahn all the time.
I think you guys are mixing up two similar,yet different things.
As per your example, you find taiwan safer. Because simply its crowded and the roadways are generally slower. The vehicles here are also less powerful. = Taiwan feels safer to drive. Have heard that argument a lot. And it is somewhat true. But that means more that the accidents here tend to be less fatal, not that there are less accidents.
In contrast, there are Taiwanese drivers, which are not safe at all. I cant compare with germany, never been there. But the skill level of driving in taiwan is incredibly low, there is zero debate allowed on that. Its objective and observable on every street corner nationwide 24/7. it makes we wonder wher people came from when thye think drivers here are safe. Many dont even use seat belts or headlights…
So what happens when 10 million taiwanese drive around a section of germany on fast roads with high powered cars?
Taiwan is safe driving.
Taiwanese are not safe driving.
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When I walked around in Germany I noticed cars yield religiously… they almost never try to overtake people in an unsafe way, and they are courteous to a fault. And it’s REALLY HARD to get a license to drive there… lots of really weird test questions that is more for car mechanics or first aid guys than just a driver… most people fail at least once.
But there’s idiots in every country… however in the West particularly north America it’s bad because the road is open, often not in a good condition but people still want to drive fast and make illegal overtakes or fails to yield… and this makes for a very dangerous combination. Seen more fatal accidents in the states than I do in Taiwan.
We call it Darwinism. But we feel terrible for the innocent people injured. Maybe thats why people in north america are so accepting of suicide…just kill yourself, dont inflict injury and death upon others. If only drivers and gun folk would take that to heart 
You should see Japan… and they don’t have guns. They believe in suicide to atone for failure…
Exactly, and they drive a million times better than taiwanese as well.
Thats my point. Kill ones self, not others… less selfish it seems.
Japanese drivers are very courteous except when they’re on expressways. They tailgate like maniacs.
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That’s one thing in Taiwan too. The lack of understanding of what is a safe distance to other vehicles. It’s all well until the car in front hits the brakes just a little bit too hard.
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It’s all the pent up rage…
Japanese employers are much worse than Taiwanese ones even though they do follow rules. They even have an effigy of the employer in the bathroom with a baseball bat next to it to allow for healthy release…
Either that or it’s all a really elaborate seppuku ritual.
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Skill levels are abysmal, and attitudes to pedestrians are the worst. Like nasty…
There is also high potential for violent roadrage in Taiwan and a lot of threatening behaviours.
Also Taiwanese rush the lights all the time.
Also Taiwan’s vehicles are really noisy, with stupid exhaust noise, high revving engines, beeping and announcing their turns.
The only good thing about Taiwan driving is they don’t beep their horns much (because of the number of homicidal drivers who take it a affront to their dignity I guess).
Driving and walking around in Taiwan tells you a lot of bad things about Taiwanese. They are extremely selfish and uncaring of others.
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Have you been out in the burbs, of say, Osaka? It’s not much better than Taipei.
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Really, I"ve been to Osaka and it’s much much better than Taiwan? Anywhere in Japan is 50x better than Taiwan as far as my experience goes. A part of that is there is significantly less traffic on the roads.
Taipei city driving is just ok. But once you get out of Taipei city Taiwan’s driving goes to hell.
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Is your experience in Osaka city or Osaka suburbs?
I’ve only driven in Hokkaido. Logged about 60k kilometers on my SUV there. It’s almost like driving in the US except for the suicidal tailgating on expressways. By law Japanese drivers are also supposed to yield to pedestrians at marked crosswalks but few do.
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Well mostly Osaka central area and Kyoto and Tokyo and a few other places. But I have a really hard time believing anywhere in Japan could approach Taiwan. I will have to check next time I visit after this damn pandemic. But I can’t imagine Japanese turning on top of pedestrians, rushing the lights, weaving in and out of traffic, driving their motor vehicles on the pavements etc.
So you were talking about the city areas, my experience is Japanese traffic there is really quite well behaved. With the exception of pushbikes on the footpath which pissed me off no end.
Outside the big city areas, it is a different story. Cars will blow straight through pedestrian crossings, even if little kids, or strollers about. Obviously they don’t have scooters there so not so much traffic on the pavement. But there is still a mentality of “I’m bigger, gtf of my way”
Never seen it. I still recall visiting Okinawa and waiting for 30 secs while a car waited for me to cross the road. Mind blown.
But I defer to your experience and listen to other accounts of Japan if they have it.