Driving in China !
Some people want to sky dive, climb a mountain, or swim with sharks to get an adrenaline rush. I say why not try driving in China. I can get used to driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding, weaving, or having 8 people on one bicycle but there are just too many other problems here that drive me crazy. It is ridiculous that every time I drive or am in someone’s vehicle I have to worry about being smashed into little pieces on the road.
Sometimes there are a few days nothing happens and I feel somewhat safe and then the next day I drive and it feels like everyone and their dog have made it a mission to personally take me out on the road. So, even after a good day or two I try not to let my guard down - this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make - to trust the other drivers! Although it would be nice to think they are going to follow the road rules this is an incredibly stupid and dangerous idea for me to have!
Every time you think a car won't pull out in front of you- it will. Every time you think a car won’t cut you off – it will. Every time you think a car is driving too close to you and can’t possibly come any closer- oh it definitely will! Sometimes I feel like all the drivers have had a meeting and decided to make it their personal mission to play bumper cars with me on the road.
I am curious where these people got their driver's license - maybe in the bottom of a cereal box or it’s like a sticker awarded for good behaviour so everyone just has one. OR maybe you don't need a driver’s license at all and it is just a free-for-all population control type of deal. Now I don't know if I really think that BUT I do feel that whatever they learned in a drivers test such as signaling, being cautious, following a speed limit is automatically thrown out once in their car... and not even that but I feel they do the opposite of what they learned!
And beyond that, there are police and guards everywhere but no one is stopping them or enforcing safety rules. So the times when I do see a car pulled over by a cop it is like seeing a unicorn and I can’t for the life of me figure out what they would have gotten pulled over for... maybe for FOLLOWING the rules because it has made all the other cars confused! That's the problem, with no cars following the rules it almost makes sense, almost, but when you throw in a car that is driving properly all the other cars aren't sure what to do and that can cause EVEN MORE accidents.
Now if I know the drivers are just going to do the opposite of what they should then I should be able to anticipate it right? WRONG, wrong, and even more wrong. They are way too unpredictable for that it’s like they have this special talent for not being predictable or consistent in their driving. If they should be driving in the middle of the road at and average speed sometimes they will drive too slow on the left or too fast on the right or too fast in the middle and too slow on the right... so there is no way to figure them out! Sometimes the car slows down and pulls to the right so it looks like you are going to park but NOPE – SURPRISE - you are going to pull a U-TURN and cut me off and all the other traffic instead of waiting for a clear opening. Thanks for that - so not only am I scared for my life but I am also extremely anxious and frustrated every day as I must try to figure out how any car that comes near me might act – even though that’s impossible. For the handful of grey hair that I have I’m sure most can be attributed to this.
Some have suggested that I ride a bicycle instead of using a car or scooter which sounds great in theory but then I would need padding. Lots and lots of layers and protection as in a full body suit type of padding as I have nothing else protecting me. Driving a bicycle to me would be like dangling a piece of raw meat in front of a lion – I would get completely destroyed.
I am not sure if it is that the cars aren’t paying attention. I think they are paying attention but just to the wrong things. They are paying attention mostly to what is going on IN the car. Sometimes I see people on their cell phone, turned around talking to the people in the backseat, shaving or putting on makeup or even playing with the child in their lap. Other times they are paying attention to everything outside EXCEPT the road. They are staring at the trees, people in parks or the little birdies flying around, none of which help keep me or other drivers safe!
So if I yell at your car on the road it’s not because I am just an angry aggressive person in life but probably because I am scared FOR MY LIFE! I am sorry if I am not used to cars coming straight at me at high speeds and swerving at the last second. Where I am from this is called “playing chicken” and is an idiotic game that idiotic people play.
So what I am asking for really is consistency – let me at least be able to anticipate what you are going to do. Let’s embrace a little predictability in our driving. That would give me a fighting chance of survival on the roads. I think you could give me that at the very least!
Some people want to sky dive, climb a mountain, or swim with sharks to get an adrenaline rush. I say why not try driving in China. I can get used to driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding, weaving, or having 8 people on one bicycle but there are just too many other problems here that drive me crazy. It is ridiculous that every time I drive or am in someone’s vehicle I have to worry about being smashed into little pieces on the road.
Sometimes there are a few days nothing happens and I feel somewhat safe and then the next day I drive and it feels like everyone and their dog have made it a mission to personally take me out on the road. So, even after a good day or two I try not to let my guard down - this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make - to trust the other drivers! Although it would be nice to think they are going to follow the road rules this is an incredibly stupid and dangerous idea for me to have!
Every time you think a car won't pull out in front of you- it will. Every time you think a car won’t cut you off – it will. Every time you think a car is driving too close to you and can’t possibly come any closer- oh it definitely will! Sometimes I feel like all the drivers have had a meeting and decided to make it their personal mission to play bumper cars with me on the road.
I am curious where these people got their driver's license - maybe in the bottom of a cereal box or it’s like a sticker awarded for good behaviour so everyone just has one. OR maybe you don't need a driver’s license at all and it is just a free-for-all population control type of deal. Now I don't know if I really think that BUT I do feel that whatever they learned in a drivers test such as signaling, being cautious, following a speed limit is automatically thrown out once in their car... and not even that but I feel they do the opposite of what they learned!
And beyond that, there are police and guards everywhere but no one is stopping them or enforcing safety rules. So the times when I do see a car pulled over by a cop it is like seeing a unicorn and I can’t for the life of me figure out what they would have gotten pulled over for... maybe for FOLLOWING the rules because it has made all the other cars confused! That's the problem, with no cars following the rules it almost makes sense, almost, but when you throw in a car that is driving properly all the other cars aren't sure what to do and that can cause EVEN MORE accidents.
Now if I know the drivers are just going to do the opposite of what they should then I should be able to anticipate it right? WRONG, wrong, and even more wrong. They are way too unpredictable for that it’s like they have this special talent for not being predictable or consistent in their driving. If they should be driving in the middle of the road at and average speed sometimes they will drive too slow on the left or too fast on the right or too fast in the middle and too slow on the right... so there is no way to figure them out! Sometimes the car slows down and pulls to the right so it looks like you are going to park but NOPE – SURPRISE - you are going to pull a U-TURN and cut me off and all the other traffic instead of waiting for a clear opening. Thanks for that - so not only am I scared for my life but I am also extremely anxious and frustrated every day as I must try to figure out how any car that comes near me might act – even though that’s impossible. For the handful of grey hair that I have I’m sure most can be attributed to this.
Some have suggested that I ride a bicycle instead of using a car or scooter which sounds great in theory but then I would need padding. Lots and lots of layers and protection as in a full body suit type of padding as I have nothing else protecting me. Driving a bicycle to me would be like dangling a piece of raw meat in front of a lion – I would get completely destroyed.
I am not sure if it is that the cars aren’t paying attention. I think they are paying attention but just to the wrong things. They are paying attention mostly to what is going on IN the car. Sometimes I see people on their cell phone, turned around talking to the people in the backseat, shaving or putting on makeup or even playing with the child in their lap. Other times they are paying attention to everything outside EXCEPT the road. They are staring at the trees, people in parks or the little birdies flying around, none of which help keep me or other drivers safe!
So if I yell at your car on the road it’s not because I am just an angry aggressive person in life but probably because I am scared FOR MY LIFE! I am sorry if I am not used to cars coming straight at me at high speeds and swerving at the last second. Where I am from this is called “playing chicken” and is an idiotic game that idiotic people play.
So what I am asking for really is consistency – let me at least be able to anticipate what you are going to do. Let’s embrace a little predictability in our driving. That would give me a fighting chance of survival on the roads. I think you could give me that at the very least!
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