Scooter Scratch-Attack

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
41

Yes, I’m already terrified. Can you imagine what it will be like to have a 1000CC cycle rip down the middle of two rows of cars in traffic at top speed? The WTO is @(&$

Note to other poster: in both left side accidents, I was on one-lane streets with no passing, and I stopped before turning. The accidents were due to people being impatient at the horrible length of time it was taking me to turn, all of a second or two. I always look, but there is no way to avoid idiots if they want to hit you.

Vorkosigan

42

Yes, I’m already terrified. Can you imagine what it will be like to have a 1000CC cycle rip down the middle of two rows of cars in traffic at top speed? The WTO is @(&$[/quote]

Well, I’m not against bigger bikes per se, but the bike test in Taiwan is a farce. Proper motorbike training is essential. And regulation of the helmet industry would at least ensure people put something other than a tupperware lid on their heads.

43

I suppose the exact wording was “98% of the danger or threat comes from the front” or something like that. Of course when someone rear ends someone else you could view it as the fault of the person in front, but most people tend to see those as the fault of the person in the rear for not avoiding the obstacle in front of them, i.e. the party in the rear should have been paying attention to stuff in front of them, not behind them.

I actually think that Taiwanese drivers tend to be more skilled than drivers in most countries, especially the US, just because of having to drive in this environment on a day-to-day basis. Of course they’re less considerate but certainly more skilled. If average US drivers were driving in the same conditions, assuming right of way and safe in their bubbles of safety, I think we’d have a lot more accidents than we do at present.

As to the big bikes, they’ve been legal for some time now and I have yet to see the horror everyone’s been predicting. I suppose more people will buy them when the prices inevitably come down, but they’re never going to be cheap and as maneuverable as a scooter. Practically speaking, I doubt very many people will give up their useful scooters for a large cruiser for going back and forth to work in the city. You’ll probably see more of them out in the country, mountain roads, etc. Actually, you already do see them out there, but they don’t seem to be blasting around at speeds much higher than anyone else out there.

44

Well, I looked over my shoulder before pulling away from some lights on Chienkuo Friday, so I was able to wait until the speeding taxi had zipped past before moving off. Not so the guy right beside me, who zoomed off without looking as soon as the green showed and SPLAM! Rear-ended by the taxi and punted about 30 feet up the road. Amazingly, he didn’t even go down but jumped off and was ranting at the taxi before his scooter had even slid to a halt.

Always check over your shoulder.

45

When approaching traffic lights at speed inevitably with some lunatic right up my arse in a car, I was always mindful of the fact that whereas I on a motorbike could stop in time if the lights turned red, the moron behind me in a car wouldn’t be able to, so the choice was often: run the red light and risk getting T-boned, or brake hard and stop with the absolute certainty that Nigel “Beetle-nut” Mansell behind me would ram me right up the arse.

With their new ticket-issuing zeal, have the police ever debated traffic cameras at intersections ? A much better use of police time than fining people for being an inch over some white line.

46

I actually think that Taiwanese drivers tend to be more skilled than drivers in most countries, especially the US, just because of having to drive in this environment on a day-to-day basis. Of course they’re less considerate but certainly more skilled. If average US drivers were driving in the same conditions, assuming right of way and safe in their bubbles of safety, I think we’d have a lot more accidents than we do at present.

ROTFL. Taiwanese aren’t “more skilled.” The reason there are not more accidents is because of the traffic density and poor driving conditions, which keep speeds down, giving drivers the chance to avoid accidents.

The fact is that Taiwanese have poorly-developed driving skills. They don’t use mirrors properly. They often don’t signal turns. If you make a wide left turn, they try to cut in behind you. They vastly miscalculate the time required for vehicles to stop. They frequently cut into traffic without looking back over their shoulder. Motorcycles drift all over the road – discipline is part of “skills” too. Drivers are saved from accidents because everyone is used to the poor skills of others, and drives to compensate for it.

Part of having a “skill” is knowing when things are dangerous and should be avoided. Clearly there are some parts of “skills” that Taiwanese are unaware of, never mind the basics of driving like mirror usage, knowing the traffic laws, and the like. The driver ed system here is pitiful, too test focused, and produces drivers who do not know the rules of the road.

As to the big bikes, they’ve been legal for some time now and I have yet to see the horror everyone’s been predicting. .

Taiwan has probably the highest accident rate for motorcycles in the world. You may not see the horror, but it is out there. Bigger bikes will probably only make it worse.

PS. I nailed an a$$hole running a red light yesterday. He turned out to be from the area, and locals gathered, toothless betel-nut chewing thugs making the usual death threats and intimidation. But other locals came to see that there would be no trouble, and the police were fair and professional (any time you are tempted to criticize people here, there are also really good people too to balance the total shits that infest this island). The evidence backed my story, which became the official version of events – the idiot ran a red light. It didn’t help that the guy’s “supporters” none of whom were witnesses, changed their story several times. First they insisted he had been making a left with the light, but some bright fellow among realized that this would give me the right of way, so then they insisted he had crossed on a green and I had ran the red. Lo and Behold! A “witness” appeared who backed their story. It was obvious what was going on and the cop did not even write down her story.

Vorkosigan

47

[quote=“hexuan”]

With their new ticket-issuing zeal, have the police ever debated traffic cameras at intersections ? A much better use of police time than fining people for being an inch over some white line.[/quote]

The intersections are heavily camera-ed, but they only look at speeding and red light running, not accidents. And not every intersection.

It would be nice if the cops went after cars on a regular basis. But it is dangerous for them, you know. They live in these communities and thugs can easily get their home address and cause them trouble. Ever seen an accident involving a taxi? They gather in herds and intimidate witnesses. Yesterday when I hit a motorcycle the crowd attempted to intimidate the cop. When a whole society is run by gangsters, what can the cops do?

48

A major problem here is that people don’t learn to drive. A drivers license here is an operators license. You learn how to handle it, but you don’t learn how to read the traffic flow, keeping account of the positions of the cars around you etc. It took me some time to teach those basics to my wife. Too bad most here don’t know them. Driving here every day learns you that Taiwanese drivers are unsafe drivers.

49

While driver education (as befits a Confucian system) can be said to be merely preparation for an exam, so does the legal aspect of collision have a significant effect on driving style and priorities.
The law says that (with one important exception*) the following vehicle is at fault when it collides with the one in front. Therefore, it’s unecessary to look back or use mirrors, as anyone not in front of you will be at fault when the collision occurs. It’s not of your concern as they will be held responsible for any damage. Hence the trick of pulling ahead of you by a few feet and then moving over into your lane, refusal to use mirrors or turn signals.
Another gem is the one where vehicles pulling out of side streets have right of way over those on the larger street. It’s ok for me to pull out in front of you without even looking since the law puts me in the right when you hit me, even though there was nothing you could possibly have done to prevent the accident.

This of course doesn’t even go into the real traffic rule, the only one, which is

50

Judgement is at least as important as car control skills. I oftem see accidents at the freeway who could have been avoided if the violating drivers exercised a bit of judgement.

My driving test back home was focused on judgement. I made a major car handling blunder during the test, but they let me through on better than average judgement.

51

I’ve been in a couple of accidents here, both of which I was hit from behind. The first thing I did in both situations was grab my mini video camera (I always have with me) and jump out of the car to video all cars involved as well as the license plates. Then I do a 360’ pan of the area capturing all who are on the street at the time. Then I go back and make sure to get video of all the drivers and then take more video of the accident. I continue to video throughout the whole process, including all conversations with the police as well as any documents that are put in front of me to sign. I also point the camera into anyone’s face who approaches the accident. This always works to scare the locals off and any “suprise witnesses”.

 Don't be afraid to call your trade office when in an accident (you should have their number on speed dial) and always call the foreign affairs police.  AIT was very helpful in straightening out a crooked cop that tried but failed to mess with the situation.

 When I was in an accident in Kaohsiung city the foreign affairs cop was quick to point out that my international driver's license was not valid in Taiwan.  Then I showed him that it was endorsed (in the back of the driver's license) by the local DMV and was legit.  His response was a shocked, "how did you know about that?"
52

Interesting, 90630. I can’t imagine the British Trade and Cultural Office being in the least bit interested. Glad to hear the AIT can be bothered to assist American citizens abroad.

53

When attacked by a scooter, getting a local friend to the scene asap is important. I once managed to get a bit of compensation out of somepne, who rammed my car with some loud help from my father in law.

54

Wow, Holg, your father-in-law must have pretty pissed at you if he did that. What kind of loud help was it?

“GO ON MATE, RAM THE BASTARD! HE’S ONLY GONE AND BLEEDIN’ STOLE ME LOVELY DAUGHTER! GIVE IT TO HIM GOOD! RIGHT UP HIS TAIL PIPE!”

Sorry, couldn’t resist. Where have you moved to BTW?