most amazing thing i done seen?

was crossing the street (i had the little green man),
and was almost zapped by some mushhead on a

diandongche. he blew through the red light, was

nearly creamed by a couple cars and a truck, then
nearly got me. totally oblivious! he was reading
a book in the hand on the throttle, and holding his

cell phone in the other.

as he blew past me, i noticed he was studying...

.....the drivers license test booklet!!!!!

@no way: sorry about that - but I was studying the map trying to find the Traffic Department in order to pay for my last speeding ticket....
What do you expect in a city with 400 new cars every day? Most of these drivers are first generation drivers. Until 2 years ago they where driving a tractor with 2 horse powers, now you can see them in a Lamborgini rushing down Dianchi Lu. I agree with Laotou: As long as the traffic police is going to play Majong and sing Karaoke after 6pm nothing will change. My advise: "if you go to Rome, do as the Romans do". Otherwise it will be YOU posing a danger for everyone else!

When in Rome, do as the GOOD Romans do.
Driving like a bad local driver will NOT make you less of a hazard.

Driving like a good local driver will require you to adapt a different mindset to driving. Actually the driving here is very predictable, once you learn how to predict driving gets easier. Predicting will help you stay out of harms way. Even defensive driving has a different set of rules here.

I have driven in places like Italy (tigertiger I like the 'when in Rome' angle and often think about this in reference to difference between Western and Chinese culture), Thailand, Israel where driving is quite 'hectic' to say the least.

Most of my business is done with foreigners who I often tell that I came to China thinking I was going to bring Western ways and it took me years to learn that a foreigner here needs to learn Chinese ways.

I am actually a big believe in certain Chinese ways such as social capitalism.

When I see someone spit on the ground, etc. I just think they do not know any better.

BUT

These drivers are endangering myself, my family, my friends, themselves, their families and their friends and I go back to the initial questions...

Do Kunming drivers know that they are being inconsiderate and dangerous and do not care or are they driving around in an ignorant bliss?

The follow on questions wold be...

If told they could serious injure someone if they continued to drive this way would they make an effort to be ore considerate and safe on the roads?

and/or

Would they consider further drivers education before endangering more people by continuing to drive?

Any way to put a survey out on this?

no way

Love the story about the accident waiting to happen while reading the driving test booklet ;-)

well, the never ending saga of tainted food and corruption...... in china gives the answer. education included punishment ...... is not going to change it. the motto actually is - do it if you can get away from it while you have the 'power.' :-)

do it if you can get away from it

Don't even get me started on this one! The Chinese have no concept of safety wheather it's driving OR walking. I've been driving for 5 years in China and had only 1 accident. Truly an eye opening experience.
I was t-boned by a cement truck on Dianchi Lu. He came out of a sidestreet, no stopping or looking, and hit me in the rear quarter panel as I drove down Dianchi.. I was clearly not a fault in any way........but this is China. Police arrived and we stood in the middle of the street ( I was driving in the far left lane!), for a few hours. Meanwhile Dianchi was backed up a few km. The police decided it was my fault because I didn't drive to avoid this idiot. Of course that would mean me jumping the curb at 60km and driving into a bridge abutment. Small detail to the police. I refused to get railroaded by this idiot cop, and I would not agree or sign any paper. He called his "superior" who showed up 15 minutes later. It took him 10 seconds to ascertain that the cement truck was 100% at fault. Then he started yelling at the underling cop, berating him for being a dumbass. But now the cement driver was angry that he reversed the original decision. Another hour goes by ending with the police threatening to impound both our cars for at least 6 months while we go to court. The cement driver decided to back down and sign the papers that he was guilty. To this day the idiot truck driver keeps calling me and wanting me to go to his village for dinner. He wants to show off his laowei friend to his village! This country definitely operates on an level not yet perceived my mankind.

But.........TIC!

In Toronto my wife was one of the safest drivers I knew. In Kunming I'm afraid to drive with her!
I think part of the problem is the rule that the person who hits another is at fault, regardless of who is actually at fault. If the insurance companies got into the act to cut losses it might actually help.

Not true AllPage48. Se my post above yours. The real rule is the one who can afford to pay is the one at fault. The foreigner is usually the victim as he is perceived to have the means to pay. Forget what is written in the books. Law in China is 100% subjective, judges are free to make rulings based in relationships, not laws.

In China, there are many animals who wear human skin. Legendary but more pervasive in recent years.