… are missing from the vocabulary of drivers in Shanghai. I’ve asked a couple local people about shoulder checking (i.e. why don’t you do it?, did your instructors in driver training teach it to you?) and received answers like “huh?” in return. It appears drivers are not taught to shoulder check, and guess what, you almost never see them do it. Consequently, cut-offs are the norm.
Why do Canadians, Americans, English, French, etc. shoulder check? It’s called the blind spot. The Chinese, being forward looking people, appear unconcerned with what’s going on behind or beside them. And most drivers here love to lane surf. Am I being sarcastic? Not really. I’m sure you’ve noticed with awe the way your taxi drivers cut people off without the slightest hesitation… and they’re better than the average driver who cut people off: not because other drivers ‘just want in’, but because they don’t realize anyone is in the next lane.
Please, please driver trainers - teach the youth how to shoulder check. We need it.
87 people died in traffic accidents in Shanghai in September 2007 alone (reported in Shanghai Daily, October 18th).
Shanghai is not the only place where the problem lies. Around China during the recent National Day week-long holiday, 1171 people died in traffic accidents. That’s 7 days, 1171 people dead. That’s down 42.8% from the year before!
Think a little caution and some shoulder checks would help?
Feds
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment