Asians Can't Drive

We have a stereotype in America. It's the slow Asian driver. You get stuck behind one and you just crawl. I've ridden in the car with one of said variety of Asian, and if you have to be somewhere just give up. So upon arriving in an Asian nation, especially coming from one of the most erratic driving areas of the nation, one would expect to find the highways rather lethargic, clotted with many busses and drivers afraid of 40 mph.

Not so, however. Not. So.

I would rather walk than ride with these Korean drivers. Maybe I don't understand the rules, and then maybe there really aren't any. They all laugh when I buckle my seat belt, but I am genuinely scared for my life.

In America we have Stop Signs to excess. Whenever there is a road that crosses, meets, passes, or even approaches the current road, we stop traffic with the power of octagon. There is no such thing as a Stop Sign in Korea. We find it laughable that we're tested on the meaning of a Stop Sign in order to obtain a license, yet these people wouldn't know one if you beat them with it. Major intersections have stop lights, but most smaller two lane intersections have absolutely nothing. When a Korean approaches an intersection, they "use their judgment" when deciding whether or not to bring it to a halt. Obviously this system would never work in America, Land of Idiots, but even here in Asia I wonder how there aren't constant accidents everywhere.

Much as the concept of personal space is different in other cultures, the concept of suitable distance between cars is different here. And it is far less. Partially this is due, I'm sure, to the fact that most of the roads are three cars wide....and there are cars parked on both sides of the road. This leaves only a narrow margin for even one car to navigate. One way streets? No, two way. How do they do it? I have no earthly clue, but it always involves near scraping things on all sides.

If there are two cars in the left turn lane, the light changes, and the first car isn't paying attention, it is not uncommon for the second car to pass him ON THE LEFT SIDE and just make a turn.

Stopping in the middle of six lanes of traffic to let someone out is frequent, and the rest of traffic just swipes around the stationary roadblock.

Motorcyclists and Vespa riders obey no rules, but instead ride down the right side of traffic at the stop light as though it was a special HOV lane for 2 wheels or less.

All vehicles on major streets are parked on the sidewalk, so you can expect cars to be driving on the sidewalk at any time you're walking on it.

All in all, I fear for my life even walking in the vicinity of this mayhem, and if walking is an option, I take it.