Disclaimer and driving in China

I'm in China, making observations about the Chinese. Nothing is meant to offend, but probably will, which will probably be the case when I start making observations about the Americans, the Brits, Africans, and the Arabs. The world is often a laughing matter, let's enjoy it.


Have you ever happened across a child on a busy street? He/she will be totally involved in some activity of great interest, moving forward to see better,....and suddenly, without warning or taking any care to avoid anyone around, reverse directions and cause all within range to make adjustments to keep from injuring the tiny, unsuspecting soul.

This is how the Chinese drive...in China.

As there seem to be no traffic 'laws', only traffic 'suggestions', some of the rules of the road might be (who knows?) as follows.

Turn signals exist, but are apparently very vulnerable to wear and tear. The number of people I have observed using them in our seven months residence here can be numbered in single digits. Entirely optional.

Merging lanes is done by looking nonchalantly into a mirror, it matters little which one as the information it contains is irrelevant, and slowly moving in the direction you wish, regardless of the amount of traffic that might be in your way. If anyone perceives you are inconveniencing them more than they are concerned about doing so to you, they will politely honk their horn, which you may ignore.
If, however, they honk less politely, you should, at least, consider showing some concern.

Left hand turns across traffic, again, do not require use of signals. Nor do they require any actual opportunity, to make said turn, to exist. All that matters is that, like doing a merge, you state your intentions slowly enough that people can figure out what you wish to do. As many as possible will do all they can to cut you off and get by before you impede their progress, but once you have succeeded in pushing far enough into opposing traffic to make their progress impossible...they will stop for you. Gently...almost lovingly.

You are, most likely, getting the idea, but one more example may be enlightening. Passing other vehicles is an activity that is also unburdened by traffic laws, lane considerations, or anything else that might resemble a real guideline. You may pass on the right, left, against oncoming traffic, and at any speed you care to risk. What matters most is....'Were you there first?'.

The result of this system gives a US citizen the feeling of driving in a nation of teenage drivers...the 'me first' mentality which sometimes exists in the supermarket line, the bank line, the 'any' line, does overflow into driving.

What is interesting is that it results in as few accidents as it does, and seems to result in little or no 'road rage'. Drivers are intensely aggressive about trying to get ahead of every single car they can manage. Yet, failure to do so is handled philosophically. I have yet to see or hear a driver do more than mutter a bit over some minor defeat which would have Americans flipping out and flipping off.

So come on over, learn some Chinese, get a driver's license. Put some fun back in your life.