Yang Chuen-jen (
But Yang was too nice in the description of "demo-driving" -- the police practice of driving on the highway and following the speed limit in order to demonstrate legal and safe driving.
On some highway stretches where the speed limit is 110kph, police are often seen demo-driving 20kph under the speed limit.
Cars line up impatiently behind the police vehicle, overtaking the patrol one by one at the speed of 92kph, so as not to attract the attention of the police officer.
Once the police car is overtaken -- a nerve-wracking 10 minute process -- everyone returns to their normal driving speed of 120km per hour or higher.
Each time I encounter one of these "ISVs" ("Identified Sluggish Vehicles") I tell my Taiwanese friends that the demo driver is creating a dangerous situation, because the line behind the police car extends for at least 200m.
When you are driving at 110kph and suddenly all three lanes of the highway ahead of you are packed with vehicles traveling at only 89kph, a lot of unpleasant things can happen.
The second issue is that slow driving vehicles on the inner lane are common on the highway.
You find yourself behind a slow vehicle and you flash your lights to inform the driver that you want to pass, in hopes that the driver will switch to the outer lane.
No such luck.
You trail 10m behind him, flash your lights, waive your hands.
Eventually the driver may realize that moving out of the way would be courteous.
There are road signs that say "inner lane for overtaking," but clearly these aren't having much impact.
Another problem on the highways is "Christmas tree" syndrome.
Turning signals are not lights meant only to be used at Christmas time.
They are a necessity. You must always use them when turning or changing lanes.
Of course, as many find, if you turn on your turning signal to indicate that you would like to change lanes, no one will pay attention anyway.
That brings me to the most important problem on the highways. Drivers need to learn how to be courteous to each other.
Francisco Carin
Taishan, Taipei County
I fully agree with Yang Chuen-jen's article about highway driving in this country.
I am a foreigner and have had a driver's license since 1988. I mostly drive in Hualien.
My feelings about the quality of driving here are shared by many foreigners I have talked to.
The manner in which the majority of people drive here is disastrous.
Every time I drive in Hualien, I observe traffic violations and dangerous driving.
Drivers and passengers do not use seat belts.
Children ride motorcycles without a helmet.
Drivers ignore speed limits.
Large trucks pass at high speeds or force other cars to drive faster.
Drivers neglect to use their turning signals before changing lanes or turning.
Motorcycles pass on the right-hand side and suddenly cut other vehicles off.
Drivers speak on a cellphone while driving.
They cross a double yellow or a double white line.
They take restricted access roads to save time.
They proceed on a red light when they think no one is approaching the intersection.
Drivers regularly ignore yield signs and zebra crossings, putting the lives of pedestrians at risk.
As is the case in other countries, male drivers take more risks than female drivers, and some of the male drivers here are complete road hazards.
These are just a few examples of the violations I witness regularly in Hualien.
I wonder what the requirements are for getting a driver's license in Taiwan. Better driver's education is necessary for everyone's safety and drivers must learn not to be impatient and indifferent to others.
Sometimes I stop my car at an intersection to permit another car to pass first.
The driver, usually a little surprised, thanks me. But behind me, another driver gets impatient and edgy.
Steve Tso
Hualien
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