It would perhaps be an accepted fact for most people that the highway code is a statutory list of rules that would be applicable to any road system throughout the world, unlikely to be affected by anything so prosaic as cultural differences. However, if anyone has travelled to Asia, and in particular Taiwan, they would know that this is anything but true.
To Stop or Not to Stop, That is the Question
For the foreigner the shock when surveying the crowded thoroughfares that exist in this particular country is considerable. As described in the Lonely Planet, outlining the pros and cons of Taiwan, road rules are, in a word, 'anarchy'! The congestion is totally bewildering to the traveller abroad. Cars, bikes, motorcycles, buses and little blue trucks join the chaotic throng. Law enforcement by the police is arbitrary and there seems to be no rhyme or reason in the way it is applied; drivers are penalised for what might be seen as minor infringements of the law yet flagrant flaunting of basic road rules such as driving through a red light, pass totally unchallenged. Traffic laws, as one casual observer was once to remark, are mere 'serving suggestions' to be adopted or not according to a driver's particular whim at the time.
Living Dangerously
The main demons on these roadway racetracks may be said to be the motorcyclists. Unrestricted by size as are cars, the motorcycle is able to be steered, often at alarmingly careless speeds, in and out of the crowded traffic. With temperatures soaring in the summer heat, motorcyclists abandon helmets, avowing it is just too hot, their desire to keep cool overriding the risk they run of brain damage. Judging by the number of accidents that take place on a daily basis on Taiwan's roads involving motorcycles, this practice would seem to be totally ill-advised.
Variations of the Norm
Driving on the right is officially the acceptable way for drivers to conduct themselves on the road though once again this would appear to be optional. It is also not unusual to see motorcyclists coming at you in the opposite direction, driving with perfect aplomb as if this is indeed a perfectly normal procedure. To drive without lights is thought to be desirable as according to residents, lights use up petrol faster, so in order to conserve your reserves it would seem best to throw caution to the wind! These considerations might well back the desirability of medical and life insurance as well as having your will updated if contemplating joining the throng on these roads, as advocated in the Lonely Planet.
Grin and Bear It
Although motorcyclists would seem to be the main offenders on the roads, seconded perhaps by the little blue trucks which are often driven by intoxicated drivers, they are by no means the only ones.
Although the Taiwanese are some of the friendliest people in the world, a fact I will personally endorse, once placed behind a wheel, particularly taxi drivers, they become demons in their own right. Not only that, there is an unwritten law amongst the cabbies, as perhaps in other countries, that causes them to stick together in times of trouble. Here in Taiwan this can take the form of actual violence when a taxi driver is challenged by a foreigner who has just narrowly escaped death by being hit by his cab. If the foreigner is not hurt by the car which has come within a hair's breadth of knocking him off his motorcycle, he will be attacked by the cabbie or cabbies himself if he is unwise enough to verbally challenge his would-be assassin. Tolerance, even in the face of severe provocation, is the rule of the day if contemplating driving in Taiwan.
Convenience Overcomes Risk
Although one might consider the risks to be too great in joining the throng on the roads if travelling to this part of the world, it must be said that to have your own transport is the quickest and most convenient way to get around. The motorcycle is more convenient than the car in the sense that it can be easily parked in crowded thoroughfares. There is the downside that you are exposed to the elements which is not all that pleasant especially during the typhoon season, but on the whole, it can be fun to join the pack and experience a certain sense of exhilaration. You only need to remember to keep your 'cool' and not challenge the rules, or rather the non-application of them, in order to become part of the accepted disorder that prevails on Taiwanese roads.
Source
- Lonely Planet Taiwan, Robert Storey, 4th Edition, Sept.1998, ISBN 0 86442 634 8, pages 114-115
Carol Elvidge - Having gained an MA in historical studies, Carol was able to broaden her horizons and has been living and working in Taiwan as a teacher ...
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