Reuters journalist – We feel your pain.
A Reuters journalist talking about his driving experiences in the big smoke of Beijing.
BEIJING (Reuters) – Driving my battered old Volkswagen Santana on the streets of Beijing, I made the mistake of stopping at a red light.
It turned out I was doing the right thing. I know that, because I later checked the Chinese highway code. It was a red light on a left turn. Not one of those red lights where you don’t actually have to stop.
That did not prevent the drivers lined up behind me from leaning on their horns and making all sorts of gesticulations suggesting that perhaps I should get out of their way.
That is the problem with driving in China, which statistically has some of the world’s most dangerous roads.
About 1,100 new cars and other vehicles hit the streets of Beijing every day. There are rules, but many, many people don’t obey them.
It is common to see cars back up on highways when they miss a turn. To see someone signal to overtake is a rare delight.
I passed the road traffic theory test when I arrived in China three years ago, but a series of minor offences meant I had to retake it.
You can read the full article here on Reuters.co.uk – the guy speaks the truth!
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Great article that is both informative and amusing. But from what I have seen Chinese drivers observe unwritten rules that keep traffic moving, and somehow avoid the collisions that at the moment, look inevitable.
Not to mention simultaneously avoiding bicycles that can carry refrigerators, TV’s, doors, (and I once saw a pool table) perched over the backwheel.
Then theres the guys on motorbikes, the ones that deliver gas canisters to homes that dont have direct gas lines – maybe 6 gas canisters and flying around like a madman.
God forbid they ever crash.