Look Both Ways... or Not!

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This is one thing that blows my mind in China. How does the population grow to the largest in the world, when NO ONE looks both ways before crossing the road?



The rules of the road in China are as follows: the bigger vehicle has the right of way. The hierarchial order on the road is as following: semi truck or car transporter, tour or city bus, luxury vehicles, SUV or van, sedans, Smart cars and look a likes, motorcycles, ebikes, bicycles and then finally pedestrians.



Everyday, I witness cars that pull into oncoming traffic without even looking. They just honk their horns (sometimes) and go as if they have the right of way. Last week I saw a cop car that caused an accident as they drove like they were "above" the law and Tboned a car. Just looking at the accident aftermaths one can 95%!o(MISSING)f the time tell who caused the traffic accident.

After talking with other expats in China I have concluded three logical reasons for this:


• Owning a private car in China is a "newer" concept leading to owning a car is a status symbol and they lack years of driving experience.
• One can bribe a government official in order to get a drivers license without completing any training...money talks.
• Lastly, being behind a wheel gives one individual lots of power...it maybe the ony place in a Chinese persons life where they aren't being controlled, they get to make many independent decisions and aren't all good decisions.



No only does this "look both ways before you cross" rule get ignored by drivers but also by pedestrians and bicyclists. I have witnessed one person on a bike get hit by a city bus and many minor crashes between cyclists. Recently, Pete and I witnessed a set of grandparents pushing their newborn baby grandchild in a stroller, when they exited the bus they walked straight into the bike/ebike lane without looking while almost getting creamed by a motorcycle going at a high speed. WOW!!



People really should learn the lesson of looking both ways, if not at least one way before entering into a roadway or intersection. Evolution or survival of the fittest?

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Photos

I'm Above the Law
see this multiple times every day in Hangzhou (and the rest of China when we travel)

Comments

[Paulette]

Looking both ways
Wait till you get back to the states - you will find that a large % of population have adopted that practice - they are too busy on their phones to pay any attention as to where they are going or who might be coming at them -