Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Eglayzer]

I am a cyclist and avid pedestrian (I walk and ride my bike a lot). Over the last few months, especially now with the snow, I have been struck my side view mirrors quite a few times while walking.

Since there are many roads on my way to work that have no sidewalk I am forced to walk in the street. Often times, when there is a small sidewalk, cars are parked parallel on it anyways. So, walking between a line of parked cars and the moving traffic, the cars just get really really close to me and on occasion I get hit with their side view mirrors. Usually the car stops, the driver pretends to look like he is totally shocked he hit someone, or someone hit him, and then realizes I am a foreigner and don't matter, so they drive off without a word.

Hey, I understand. There is limited road road space. However, yesterday on my 45 minute walk home from work I was hit twice. Once by a taxi cab and again later, while on the sidewalk by a passing motor bike. The motor bike dude stopped and did a little bow but at that point I was so pissed that I did the Western, throw my hands up in the air in disgust thing, which I doubt was understood or of any use.

Then, just ten minutes ago I was hit while walking to work by a minivan. There was literally no room for me to go anywhere and the van didn't even slow down when he passed me.

I am guessing that the reason I have gotten hit so much is because I have a strong belief as to my rights to the road/sidewalk as both a pedestrian and a cyclist. When I first arrived in Seoul I used to duck and cover whenever a car got too close to me, and I would run to the gutter. I am over that. Now I stand my ground. I think the reason I keep getting hit is that now I stand my ground virtually every time and drivers expect that, if they get REALLY close to you with their cars, then you will move for them. Not me, I would rather them bang their side mirrors.

Does anyone else have this problem? Am I just not understanding some cultural subtlety or are drivers in Korea a bunch of ass-hats? Its probably a bit of both. Just wanted to know how other people deal with it.

[Died By Bear]

[kumoh]

Do you remember van model and number? call police and go hospital asap

I had similar experience here in korea.
First of all there is simple rule here automobile drivers 100% guilty if accident happened between auto and bike or motobike or pedestrian.

Dont just leave accident place with saying bye and sorry. U might be shocked with accident and u can feel pain later not right after accident.

Call police (Don't worry they don't not check r u illegally here or not)

Ask driver call to his insurance company and submit accidence information.
He will get registered number with this number u can go to hospital and get checked ur health. this number will cover all your medical expenses.

Don't leave hospital right immediately after health check, even if you fill good. Say them u have head ache or something else. they will keep you 2-3 days hospitals should also earn money from insurance companies.

Than insurance agent will come to you to talk about compensation. Usually this amount depends on how big accident and how many weeks it takes to recover for you. The number of weeks u can know from doctors final decision. Minimal recovery period is 2weeks, for example if you break ur arm they give 3-4weeks to recover.

The compensation sum is depends on recovery weeks for 2 weeks u can get from 500K to 700K, 3weeks 900K won, 4weeks~1.3-1.5, these only approximate numbers that depends how u bargain with insurance agent(don't like them).

Also they should repair of replace your vehicle and clothes and bla bla bla...

If you are angry with driver who did not say sorry or anything else stay in hospital as long as you can and you will screw up him with insurance bill.


I know many bike drivers just leave accident place without any action and that is wrong!!!




Sorry for my bad english still learning

[Chokse]

The reason they stop after hitting you is that by legal definitions they have actually hit you and if they drive away and are caught (you get the license plate), they are in some serious $hit and could lose their license.

The benefit to you is that you have them painted into a corner. If you walk up to the car, or even better, fall to the ground and pretend to be in extreme pain, they have no choice but to wait there for the police to arrive. When the police arrive, YOU can start making the demands. At a minimum, you should get a few hundred thousand won for the trouble. If a taxi hits you, fall down and writhe in pain. Go to the hospital complaining of neck, shoulder, and other body pains, and you'll get a minimum payout of 2 or 3 million won plus "medical expenses".

Believe it or not, this country is built around protecting pedestrians, whether they are in the right or not. If you run out into the middle of Olympic Expressway and a car hits you, it is entirely the car's fault and you'll get a huge payday! Crazy, I know.

I get hit by mirrors at least twice a month and I feign the whole injury thing each time. It usually nets me between 300,000 to 500,000 won per month. It does make for a nice supplement to your income with very little effort on your part. Most drivers are very willing to hand you a few hundred thousand won if it means not involving the insurance company!

By the way, if you are ever in any car (taxi included) and are involved in an accident, you MUST immediately pretend that you have whiplash. It is an immediate 1 mil to 2 mil won payout by the insurance company, no questions asked and no need to visit a hospital. My wife is Korean and we've been rear ended twice while driving around Seoul (both very, very minor). Nevertheless, she yelled at me to pretend being hurt, and both times we got nearly 4 million won for our "injuries".

When in Rome.... Right?

[War Eagle]

[Eglayzer]

Wow. The replies have all been pretty dichotomous. I am not interested in suing anyone or faking any injuries. If I were to actually get hurt that would be another story but I have never been. Likely, I have done more damage to their cars than to my self.

I am also not interested in leaping around trying to avoid motorists who are perfectly aware of my presence on the road but who, for whatever reason, feel its in their best interests to try and intimidate me off of the road.

Between these two extreme approaches there must be a somewhat more civil way of dealing with this issue. I was thinking about transferring over some of my cycling knowledge to walking. In the cycling world its all about lane positioning. If you hug the very right edge of the road then you will invite motorists to try and pass you, often time much closer to you than is safe, but they are in a car so they don't care. In these situations most cyclist simply ride in the center of the lane so that passing vehicles are forced to either slow down significantly before passing or use the proper adjacent lane to pass, leaving you enough room to breath and possible move right if you need to.

Its highly effective for cycling so maybe I will give it a go for walking too. It might get me honked at a little more but thats better for all parties involved rather than any of the proposed alternatives.

Any other ideas I have not thought of?

[methdxman]

[Steelrails]

The best course of action is whatever gives you the highest chance of survival.

The other motorist may be "in the wrong" but it won't mean a thing if you're being picked up with a mop.

It always mystifies me the cyclists who play the "mine is bigger than yours" chicken game with motor vehicles. Typical responses I hear amount to "Well its my road, they're the ones that will lose in court, blah blah blah" Evidently these folks don't too much stock in things like physics, survival, or quality of life as a paraplegic. My sympathy to their cause has decreased significantly.

[methdxman]

[Eglayzer]

I am not trying to "win" anything. As I said in the previous post, I am trying to figure out a way to encourage motorists to follow the law. The particular law I am trying to get them to follow is, don't hit people. Doesn't seem all that bad to me but I could be wrong.

Its also quite dangerous to be constantly jump and dodging large speeding automobiles while the ground is covered with ice.

[Steelrails]

[Eglayzer]

[Eglayzer]

[Eglayzer]

[le-paul]