Chinese road vigilante an Internet hit: report

[Neil]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090713/technology/china_crime_internet_offbeat

pretty funny

[Vince G]

China's roads are notoriously dangerous. Last year, nearly 73,500 people died in road accidents in China last year, or more than 200 fatalities per day, according to police statistics.

200 fatalities per day? throughout China?  Amateurs.

We have this per State.

[Vince G]

Somethings not right with these figures. Americans have 2-3 times more autos then China per family. Death toll can't be that high for China vs USA.

[Irishman]

Hah, Vince and Mike, clearly you haven't witnessed Chinese driving first hand.
Its no surprise to me that they have a huge mortality rate, driving is simply insane there!

[Arnold]

Yeah .. but why is it , I only seen two fender bender's on my three trip's , when I see three or more a week on my way to work alone
( 44 Miles ) . Less Car's on the 14 Fwy here than in Shanghai for sure . Shanghai is a wealthy City , most people have at least one Car many have two . I was shocked of course to see so many Car's , which include out of towner's of course , which are not aloowed to drive within City limit at certain Hour's of the day . To keep the traffic at a moving pace . These People know how to drive , even if it seems crazy . Compared , I think Californian's are worse driver's by far .

[Tiztom]

Probably a hell of a lot more pedestrian deaths in China than car to car crash victims but if you want to see something scary have a look at crash test cars on YouTube............They make some scary crap over there.
Check this out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5SRyG6UR2A

[China Shark]

This guy rocks in my book. Believe it or not the Chinese people hate these idiots just as much as we do. Been driving with some of my more educated students and some of them drive pretty conservatively. It is widespread yet quite a few are just as frightened and appalled as the westerners about the current driving situation. Some of the worse driving is done by those halfwits on those electric bikes which incidently you don't need any type of driver training or testing or require a license and 1,400 - 2,500 rmbs. Next month I'm investing in the smaller scooterlike one, let's see if I can abstane from insane driving only to cause accidents because confusing the others with driving etiquette. Whichever ways it goes I'll keep the brotherhood updated.
Shark

[Vince G]

Irish, you haven't witnessed the driving here? Pedestrians are hit daily here. And the new fad that started here. Unrelated to car accidents, Drive bys.

So Irish you never said you modeled? You modeled for this guy?
[attachment=330][attachment=331]

[Irishman]

Irish, you haven't witnessed the driving here? Pedestrians are hit daily here. And the new fad that started here. Unrelated to car accidents, Drive bys.

So Irish you never said you modeled? You modeled for this guy?

Heh, give it a few years Vince!..NOT!!!, only would happen if i married a western girl.

[JimB]

Vince, you may have a lot of knowledge.  But until you have seen it first hand, you cannot believe or understand the driving in China.  I have said, I gave my driver and extra tip for not killing us.  I have traveled a lot, and have never seen driving like I did in Xi'an.  I always thought the Bahamas were bad or Jamaica.  No way.  Even in Australia where they drive on the wrong side of the road, is better than China. lol  I will never I repeat Never drive in China.  Mike, if you do that I am sorry,  Write your epitaph and make out your will. I think to understand their driving, you have to grow up with it.  Even in the countryside it is horrendous. It is like a country or dialect specific opera, no one can understand it except those who grew up with it. Even Angel who grew up with it said she will never drive there or will she permit Qingqing to drive.  She doesnt even like Taxi's.  She prefer's a bus where you have more protection.

[China Shark]

Speaking of bad driving you guys should have been on the 19 today coming home from work today. Only way I could articulate this accurately is to model it after the Death Race movies. Picture massive construction sites due to the 15 stop expansion to the current metro, then pissed off psychotic bus drives playing chicken with one another barreling through the construction site at 60 miles an hour coming within inches of one another every 10 seconds. If I wasn't so desensitized I would have been thoroughly frightened. At one point a woman who worked for the transportation service had to go the back of the bus to make sure he wasn't going to collide with a bus before he could drive on. I'm a really good driver yet would be scared out of my wits to play games with these idiots. Not so much worried about my skills but the other death wish fools. Most of my students are sane drivers yet they seem to be the minorities. Vince, until you see it with your own eyes you can't imagine that people could act like this. Truth be told I've seen my share of accidents here so far. They don't get mad at one another because they both know they were at fault. In the states you'de arrive to see the body being covered after someone shot him or her. Only way I'de ever drive here is if I lived far away from the big cities, too dicey in the big cities. Imagine Shenzhen is probably the worst because it is such a new area populated with the newly rich, educated urban Chinese. Hell, my students have double Bachelors Degrees in Engineering and some have thier Masters as well. These people have serious disposable income. So they buy our outstanding Buicks and Fords. Can you beat that those cars are the status symbols here. Couldn't pay me to waste money on those disposable cars, guess it doesn't matter to them as long as it's a truely western car.
China Shark Mike

[Vince G]

OK OK I have had my own crazy driving days where I drove the shoulder to get past the others at a light and even came door handle to door handle to teach the guy to move over. I made it through buildings just inches wider then my SUV mirrors and doing it at 40 mph. These days I have calmed down some. No more trying to drag some guy out of his car for cutting me off.

I understand it has to be seen to believe. And I'm not wanting to drive there either. But most of what I've seen and read about it, their crazy drivers but far less accidents. Compared to the US there are more people there but far less drivers too. (per population) Figures can be thrown all over but it seems to me somethings not adding up.

[Vince G]

Had to post this for the times I wrote about their driving and other things down here. I have to mention this doesn't include the fender benders that don't require medical help.

Miami-Dade firehouse is smokin'! It's busiest in North America

Jose Pagliery
Miami Herald
7:14 AM EDT, August 3, 2009

MIAMI - The firefighters who hop every day into the lime green truck at Miami-Dade County's Station 19 were the busiest in North America last year.

According to Firehouse magazine, which listed the fire stations in North America that responded to the most calls in 2008, the station at 650 NW 131st St. beat all others by a long shot.

Firefighters at the station responded to 5,328 emergency calls last year, an average of one call every hour and a half -- all day, every day. Those calls included house fires, medical emergencies and traffic accidents.

``If you're a person who really enjoys the job, 19 is the station where you want to be,'' said firefighter Stephen Martell.

The second-busiest station -- in Chicago -- was 600 calls behind.

But having the busiest fire station on the continent wasn't a complete surprise. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is the seventh-largest department in the country. It responded to 233,080 emergency calls last year, making it the eighth-busiest department in North America.

[China Shark]

Vince, you really have too much time on your hands.
Shark