ATGATT needed in China

[TorontoBoy]

All the moron pedestrians mulling around in the intersections... hilarious...

It sounds idiotic and it is, but in China it is common for people to stand on the street and have conversations, not remotely worried about getting mowed over. I often see this same behaviour in Scarborough.

[FiReSTaRT]

I heard from a GTAM member who toured the country on a bicycle that a foreigner can't drive there even temporarily unless they go through the local licensing process. I guess that they use Death Race as a safety training video

[SweetOnion]

lmfao at the pedestrian who is standing completely still and gets run over.. slowly.. around 2:01

lol man.. poor guy got his *** stuck in the wheel well.

[dirtbag]

cant people in china open their eyes?

There is some thought that the single fold eye lid restricts peripheral vision, you can even find plastic surgeons who promise improved peripheral when they do cosmetic surgery to make make asian eyes more european.

But I would never post such thoughts here for fear of being labelled a racist.

[FiReSTaRT]

There is some thought that the single fold eye lid restricts peripheral vision, you can even find plastic surgeons who promise improved peripheral when they do cosmetic surgery to make make asian eyes more european.

But I would never post such thoughts here for fear of being labelled a racist.

If the theory comes from a published scientific study, you can present it without getting labeled as a racist.
If it comes from a a nuttso site where groups like the kkk try to "scientifically" justify their racism, that's a different story. The lack of those claims could be attributed to the peripheral vision issue being a hoax

[RetroGrouch]

I believe it's a cultural/environment thing. Asians I've met that are born and raised here drive just fine and don't stand in the middle of roads having conversations.

[TorontoBoy]

I believe it's a cultural/environment thing. Asians I've met that are born and raised here drive just fine and don't stand in the middle of roads having conversations.

Those Asian born and raised in Hong Kong or in larger Chinese cities such as Beijing that stand in the middle of the road having conversations are quickly killed (note the chap with his buttocks in the wheel well). Darwin's theory prevails. A portion of the remainder migrate to Scarborough and attempt to continue the tradition, to their regret.

There is some thought that the single fold eye lid restricts peripheral vision, you can even find plastic surgeons who promise improved peripheral when they do cosmetic surgery to make make asian eyes more european...

Not all Asians and specifically Chinese have single fold eyes, especially in South China. Having surgery to change to double fold eyes is asinine, however common.

I would rather give a smack upside the head with an AK47 for those who drive/ride on the wrong side of the road. This suggestion alone would be a quantum step forward for Chinese road safety. Of course this will not happen.

[djltoronto]

lmfao at the pedestrian who is standing completely still and gets run over.. slowly.. around 2:01

LOL HA HA HA.. that was the BEST.

Why is that guy just standing in the middle of the intersection?
And did the driver "THINK" he/she was clear?
Do they not have horns?

[FiReSTaRT]

I like to get to within 1' of a dumb punk (or group of dumb punks) walking down the middle of the road, double tap the shifter and take off just short of poppin' a wheelie. That usually gets'em back on the sidewalk. By the way I'm not talkin' about Beijing. I'm talking about a mostly European/"Canadian" (as in people of European descent, born in Canada and usually past 2nd or 3rd generation) neighborhood. You have asshats all over the world.

[Kibosh3]

BAHAHA that is some of the funniest sh*t i've seen in a while

[somebody]

this is like watching the three stooges...WTF??!!

[psycho44]

I don't know if you need a driver's license to ride or drive in China but in Vietnam they just started with the licensing couple years ago along with mandatory helmet laws. Though still the majority don't have driver's license but better than not having any formal training at all.

[Moose_Whisperer]

this is like watching the three stooges...WTF??!!

LOL. I wish the video has clown music playing in the background.

[Deimos]

LMAO @ the incompetence of those drivers/cyclists/pedestrians. Guess they have to have some way of stream lining their population barring all out war.

[Flashmonkey]

It sounds idiotic and it is, but in China it is common for people to stand on the street and have conversations, not remotely worried about getting mowed over. I often see this same behaviour in Scarborough.

So do I...I've given up stopping completely and just kinda honk as I mow through

But regarding that video....what's with the lack of traffic control lights....or signs? or any kind of signs? What's with the lack of everything?

Is that common over there?

[TorontoBoy]

...But regarding that video....what's with the lack of traffic control lights....or signs? or any kind of signs? What's with the lack of everything?

In smaller cities and the suburbs of larger cities they turn off the traffic lights to save energy. As you can see, unless a couple of cops are at the intersection fining people no one pays much attention to the lights anyway. I have seen 4 cops at an intersection individually fining drivers while the rest of the intersection goes to hell. It's actually quite funny to watch. Funny with a hint of panic. There are traffic signs but no one follows them.

Here in North America we have traffic laws followed by the vast majority. The opposite is true in China, where the level of education is quite a bit lower. Driver's licenses are required for all motor vehicles, but as you can see the standard is quite low. Besides, once you pass the test, whatever happens. At least they don't drive fast. Government in China is the ability to restrain and direct the masses to move in a planned direction, as there is no possibility of total control. The same is true of traffic.

It took me a very long time to learn how to cross a busy road in China, both riding a bicycle and walking. Initially it was terrifying. There are unstated rules to follow, like no sudden moves, slowly creep forward, walk with the pack, get a larger vehicle block for you. It is a learned skill.

[Flashmonkey]

It took me a very long time to learn how to cross a busy road in China, both riding a bicycle and walking. Initially it was terrifying. There are unstated rules to follow, like no sudden moves, slowly creep forward, walk with the pack, get a larger vehicle block for you. It is a learned skill.

LOL that's frigin hilarious. I guess that's how it is for most of the countries in Asia....but that's still some alien **** to me....

[SuzukiCruiser]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QESfEd180rQ

After watching that, you of course wonder what the rules of the road must be? I tried to find out, but I am thinking unless I am all setup for Chinese, a PDF torrent of the Chinese Driver Handbook isn't going to be available...but I found out a few things.

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According to the World Health Organisation [4] "In China, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people between 15 and 45" and the annual Chinese traffic death toll is near 250,000 [5].

A vehicle with a government or military, (including police and fire departments) plates are white but occasionally blue, may not follow any rules. It may run a red light or simply go in the wrong direction or weave in and out of traffic.

Beware of large imported luxury cars. Sometimes they belong to gangsters or young, immature relatives of senior party or other officials, who consider themselves to be above the law, which, unfortunately in the still corruption prone China, is often the case.

In case of an accident, if it is minor as a scrape, most people just drive on. If you stop and agree about whatever, you can then continue. It is common that the failing driver pay about 100 yuan or so to the other driver, and that is then the end of the matter. If you disagree, you must not move the cars until the police arrive, which can take time. This also results in many of the massive traffic jams you will encounter on Chinese roads.

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So I like the white and blue plates where no rules apply. I also like the corruption, where you can be above the law. Sweet!

[daytona675]

lmfao at the pedestrian who is standing completely still and gets run over.. slowly.. around 2:01

LMAO! im sorry, i dont wanna laugh at anyone elses pain, but this is just stupid ahahaha

[TorontoBoy]

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According to the World Health Organisation [4] "In China, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people between 15 and 45" and the annual Chinese traffic death toll is near 250,000 [5].

A vehicle with a government or military, (including police and fire departments) plates are white but occasionally blue, may not follow any rules. It may run a red light or simply go in the wrong direction or weave in and out of traffic...

Yes, in Beijing I've often seen military vehicles without plates drive recklessly and see everyone else scatter. Apparently if you get run over by one of them they won't stop. Then again they could be armed with AK47s. Also there are HongQi (Red Flag) brand large black cars for top politicians that also will run people over and will not stop. Now I'm sure they have Eurozone luxury cars. It's a Communist country so those in power do what they want.

These vehicles with special status are pretty rare. You're much more likely to get run over by more common locals. I've not researched traffic accident stats on China. I'm sure in the large cities they'd be quite high. As a place where they have a lot of ebikes, riders are also being killed on them as well.