I can't agree more with you. Driving in Taipei is exhausting! My personal experience is that it requires not only defensive skills but also offensive ones. If you just try to defend yourself without making any move, you'll probably end up going nowhere because you're stuck in the middle. So many drivers drive Lexus, BMW or Benz but they don't have the first clue of following the rules. They change lanes without signal, make right turns from the middle lane, drive in the middle of two lanes, make left turns when there is a no-left-turn sign, and/or cut in so close. Taxis are even worse. They think they are fast so that the customers would be happy. But the truth is, at least for me, I often feel queasy after a ten-minute taxi-ride. Their sudden stops really make me uncomfortable! Buses are not much better either. They are big so they just squeeze out other smaller cars. You have no choice but to yield to them. Watching out for all of the above is not enough. People jay-walking is another important aspect one cannot miss, just like Spartan has mentioned. It's not that I don't respect pedestrians for I myself find pedestrians in Taipei seem to have limited rights as well. I've had several experiences of being hit or run over by either a car making turns without checking if one is crossing the street on a green light or a motorcycle speed by me on the sidewalk. Well, but what can I do? If the majority drive like this, I can only be more careful and try to fit in to survive in this city jungle. ※ 引述《Spartan (Hook'em)》之銘言： : Yesterday while I was riding my scooter on the road, : a car suddenly came out from the other lane. : (The driver stuck in his slow lane and got impatient. : So he decided to MURDER others by quickly changing the lane : without bothering to look at his mirror) : If I hadn't noticed him, I would have been in a serious car accident. : It really pissed me off at the moment. : I don't like being hurt by careless driver : and I don't like stupid moron to control my longevity. : It happened to me many times that it made me wonder how those : inept drivers got their driver license. : But it seems brainless drivers are quite common in Taiwan : and many people have the same experiences like me. : When I first moved back to Taiwan, the thing I couldn't endure : most was the selfish drivers. I saw them most often when : I was about to enter or leave the highway. : There were always some SOB drivers that either cut in the line : or drove on the highway shoulders to save their time. : They thought they were smart enough to get the shortcut : by violating the law. Whenever I saw them, : I felt like they were modern barbarians. : I don't understand why my fellowmen could be such lowlifes. : But a small potato like me really can't change their behaviors. : All I can do is obeying the law and driving safely to protect myself. : So whenever I am on the road, I pay extra attention. : I keep away from the big trucks, buses, taxis and frightened female drivers. : I watch out for pedestrians, too. (especially those Mighty O-Ba-Sun) : To survive in Taipei, I need to drive defensively every day. : It's sad. But there is no answer to solve the problem. -- Every time I learn something new it pushes some old stuff out my brain. ~ Homer Simpson --

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