Driving....

Ah driving in China....
I had been warned about it prior....they're all 1st generation drivers...or they go both ways around a roundabout...but I didn't think it would be that bad...was I wrong.

over the last couple of weeks...I've become accustom to it…which scares me that I may start to drive like them when I get home.

So what’s all the fuss…

First throw out all the rules that you learned when driving; they do not apply here

You take the fastest way from point A to B; negating all obstacles

If there are people in the way..it’s ok to drive through them..they’ll move.[as they won’t stop @ a crosswalk anyhow]

If there is a traffic jam…it’s perfectly accepted to drive into oncoming traffic on the other side of the road...they’ll move out of your way

if you approach a roundabout[circle]…and need to go from 6 o’clock to 9 o’clock[w/ non-GB style driving] you can go against the flow of traffic and cut out the ¾ round waste of your time

If you or your passenger[often a hitchhiker] needs to go someplace off of a highway where an exit isn’t available...it’s ok to stop in any lane and let them out

You can exit at any point…such as most people exit the highways at the on ramp, and of course when entering you do not look at traffic behind you...you just drive head in

Other common courtesies, for those of us from countries who’ve been driving for generations

If you get a flat tire, in the left lane on a highway, its normal to slam on your brakes…and change the tire there….due to this…the shoulder is most often used as the high speed lane

The shoulder…its considered rude and improper to stop your vehicle in the shoulder

If you need to change lanes [most of the roads in the cities are 3 lanes or more]…you can use a term told to me…the ‘Shanghai Shuffle’ wiggle your car, by moving the wheel left and right…this will frighten the people behind you and give you the option to change lanes or stay where you are.

If you’ve yet to learn the ‘Shanghai Shuffle’ just turn your wheel hard[mirrors are for backing up only] and people will move…the size of your vehicle has no bearing on your ownership of the road.

Horns...they are not to notify of impending danger...think NYC taxies..they are to inform people to move their car or that you are near...doesn't mean that your going to do anything...just that you are there

Turn signals...they don't mean a thing...its normal to put your right blinker on and take a left turn; but is more often normal not to use them at all

My Final Anecdote…Navigation

No one has any idea where they’re going…at first they kept driving in circles everywhere…I grew tired of this…and started navigating for them. Often we drove into the wrong driveway near the office or they couldn’t get back to the highway or the hotel[after having been there many times]…no one knows how to read a map

In China there is a written test and NO driving test.