Chinese Drivers are Bad in China and Toronto
Ten bad driving habits, by Chen Xin, People Daily, equally applicable here in Toronto, Canada
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Beijing began a five-year action plan over the weekend aimed at cracking down on traffic violations and bad driving habits in a bid to ease the city’s worsening traffic situation.
Over the next five years, traffic police will crack down on drunk driving, running red lights, the illegal occupation of emergency lanes and bus lanes, driving without a license, and six other traffic violations. Bad driving habits, such as forcibly overtaking another vehicle and forcing it into another lane, will also be targeted.
Traffic in Beijing is horrible. I recall taking 45 minutes to travel 2 kms in a taxi. There are way too many cars on Beijing streets to travel efficiently. Still, cars that do move are dangerous. Traffic signals are ignored if there is no police on site. People park their cars everywhere, blocking whomever they wish. It seems that there is a blatant disregard for the safety and convenience of others. I suppose if you do not know someone else personally, you have no personal connection (guanxi), and therefore no need to be cordial.
- Driving is relatively new: Yes, in China the ability to drive is very new, only within the last 10 years. New drivers lack skill. That get a driver’s license from Hong Kong are excellent drivers, and those that fail migrate to Toronto and get an Ontario driver’s license. Many from Mainland China do not have a drivers license from China, so this is their first time driving here in Toronto.
- Driving is a status symbol: It seems like when Chinese migrate to Toronto from China one of their goals is to get the largest vehicle possible. Maybe this is to brag to those back in China that they are financially well off? Unfortunately these large vehicles are more difficult to drive. These new drives drive so poorly that they become a hazard to everyone else on the road.
- Driving rules are not enforced: This is true both in China and Toronto. Bad driving is applicable to all drivers here in Toronto. If police would enforce existing laws there would be better overall driving habits, but even the police break the laws.
March 5th, 2011 at 11:50
I went to China for the first time in the summer of 2009. Living in Toronto all my life, China was a big shock. I remember my boyfriend wouldn’t want me crossing the streets by myself because the drivers were so dangerous.
I also remember thinking that many Canadian drivers couldn’t survive driving on Chinese roads. I think there’s a different skill set when driving in China. For instance, honking is a style of driving.
I do think you’re right about the rule enforcement, though. I once saw a car driving in the wrong direction on the highway. The highway! :S
I really knew I was back in Canada when I was crossing the street and saw a van driving toward me. I realized that I didn’t have to worry and that the van was going to stop before hitting me. It did. :)
P.S. I also didn’t wear a seatbelt in China because that’s just not something you do. Haha
March 5th, 2011 at 20:49
Your reply let me recall the terror I first felt when I tried to cross the street in Beijing. I watched traffic for a good 5 minutes before deciding to snuggle up to a Grandma and crossing the street beside her. I figured that no car/bus would run over a Grandma. Only later I found out that yes, they do run over Grandmas!
We returned for a trip to China in 2008 and found out some things do not change: traffic and rules! The biggest vehicle wins!
August 9th, 2011 at 02:07
Thanks a lot for sharing. You have done a brilliant job. Your article is truly relevant to my study at this moment, and I am really happy I discovered your website.Most of time i went to china and see many incident of drivers.
February 12th, 2012 at 00:20
I have my own theory on the deplorable driving of some Chinese. I won’t begin to describe the all-too-numerous examples that simply defy belief…but I’d like to mention some types of situations that are very common. Anybody who has been driving in North America for many years (and also in Europe in 5 years in my case) has witnessed the common: too slow, wrong lanes, backing up on the freeway, running lights, no turn signals – ever,etc. or my favorite – simply stopping in the road when they make a mistake and making everybody weave around them.
The root of this has to be in the fact that not only are 95% of these “newer” drivers, but, most likely (unlike most western countries) the fact that Chinese drivers didn’t grow up with cars at all – never in the back seat of their parents car, never being able to witness good and bad driving from a young age. The other reasons you have listed play a role as well. When I was in Shanghi last summer and would run 10 km each morning I learned that traffic lights are only a “suggestion”