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[smarts]

just for info

according to 21st century newspaper, april 10, pg 4

there were 115 815 traffic accidents which resulted in 17,290 deaths in China for the first 2 months of this year!!

[MartinK]

...

[Roger]

The death toll on China's roads was 106'000 last year, and increasing!
I don't know exact figures for any country, but the proportions are about like this:
The whole of China owns some 25 million cars, buses and lorries; Italy with some 50 million inhabitants (or 4% of China's population figure) has approximately the same no. of vehicles.
I may be wrong, but the number of traffic victims in Italy is about 12'000 people.
The gridlocks in Rome and Bologna are easily matched by gridlocks in SHanghai or Shenzhen.
Still, the Chinese succeed in killing almost ten times as many pedestrians, motor-cycle riders and car passengers!
The reason: There is absolutely no safety concern by anybody here!
Tell your Chinese students you feel roads are unsafe, drivers are dangerous etc., and they laugh you out of the classroom!
Same attitude as their authorities - see how many victims of industrial accidents disappear from factory floors or mine shafts? It's a whopping 150'000 people a year!

[senor boogie woogie]

The main thing I cannot stand about Chinese is that they are extremely impatient. They have to get somewhere, and by God they are going to get there NOW!

The Chinese driver does not look behind, only in front. They will compete for lanes in traffic. Really the people who cause all the traffic problems in the city are the taxis, the bicycles and the jaywalkers. Streets are chaotic at times. What traffic police that is out is usually unjamming traffic jams and looking for illegal vehicles. A lot of traffic cops are low paid flunkies who could not be PSB who wear green uniforms and stand in the middle of the intersection directing traffic.

In Zhejiang Province, there is no traffic police on the highway. You could be naked holding a beer in one hand, a chicken in the other, a cell phone cradeling on your shoulder and driving with your left knee at 170 KM/hr, if you want. Chinese highways are toll roads and autobahns.

I was actually stopped for making an illegal turn in Shanghai, but the owner of the car (who was drunk on mao tai) paid the guy off. The cop was surprised to see a big fat laowai with three Chinese people in a Santana.

Lastly, I had a little PSB chick whistle at me for jaywalking (of all things), I crossed the road and said "Ni shi mai-lee" (you are beautiful!) Of course she giggled. Chinese women are so easy to flirt with!

SENOR