The only time I've been to The States it was in New York city, so not much driving trauma there. But if you want to see bad driving, come to China. There seems to be no conception about how fragile the human body is, so literally whole families are driven on electric scooters, all over the place. I've seen unsecured babies asleep on the back of a scooter, instinctively angling for the turns. Also, lights are rarely used on these e-bikes, or bicycles. One of my colleagues was hit by a driver of a black Audi driving with its lights off at night down the bicycle lane, the wrong way and the car driver wanted HIM to pay for the damage to his vehicle!
I was once almost driven off the road for the crime of.....doing the national speed limit in the correct lane. I didn't get out of the way of the car driver who came up behind me. The fact that there were three other lanes free didn't interest him, as I was merely a scooter and he was a car, so he had a divine right to push me out of the way. He tried to overtake but underestimated my speed so very nearly smashed into the central reservation, meaning he had to cut me up not to crash. He came within a couple of inches of slamming me into hospital. I've known several people who have been involved in bad accidents. One girl was dragged for about 50 yards by a car....driven by a policeman But perhaps the most dangerous and blatant example of rule-breaking I've seen was two enormous, fully-laden quarry trucks, carrying at least 15 tons apiece, refusing to stop at traffic lights and simply bulldozing through a junction at 45 mph with their horns blasting. About 50 people had to screech to a stop. Driving in China is dangerous since many drivers have that most terrible combination; they don't have a clue and don't give a shit.
This is why there was a 12 day long traffic jam.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2013/05/21/the-worst-traffic-jams-in-history/
As a passenger on a bus driving through Yunnan last summer we came across a horrific pile up about 400 yards long. What did everyone do? Stop to have a look, take some pictures and go for a pee in the trees. One Chinese governor was ousted from power when he was photographed laughing at similar carnage. There was a popular revolt which the higher-ups couldn't ignore.
I was once almost driven off the road for the crime of.....doing the national speed limit in the correct lane. I didn't get out of the way of the car driver who came up behind me. The fact that there were three other lanes free didn't interest him, as I was merely a scooter and he was a car, so he had a divine right to push me out of the way. He tried to overtake but underestimated my speed so very nearly smashed into the central reservation, meaning he had to cut me up not to crash. He came within a couple of inches of slamming me into hospital. I've known several people who have been involved in bad accidents. One girl was dragged for about 50 yards by a car....driven by a policeman But perhaps the most dangerous and blatant example of rule-breaking I've seen was two enormous, fully-laden quarry trucks, carrying at least 15 tons apiece, refusing to stop at traffic lights and simply bulldozing through a junction at 45 mph with their horns blasting. About 50 people had to screech to a stop. Driving in China is dangerous since many drivers have that most terrible combination; they don't have a clue and don't give a shit.
This is why there was a 12 day long traffic jam.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2013/05/21/the-worst-traffic-jams-in-history/
As a passenger on a bus driving through Yunnan last summer we came across a horrific pile up about 400 yards long. What did everyone do? Stop to have a look, take some pictures and go for a pee in the trees. One Chinese governor was ousted from power when he was photographed laughing at similar carnage. There was a popular revolt which the higher-ups couldn't ignore.
