It’s an age-old stereotype that Chinese people (or Asians in general) are bad at driving.

It’s been the butt of

comedian jokes, and even cartoon sitcom Family Guy did an episode feature on it – and it’s certainly not
the first time Asians were made into a joke for their ethnicity.

But is there any truth to the stereotype? The short answer: no. The fact that the stereotype exists leads to
confirmation bias; you remember every time a Chinese person has driven poorly, but ignore all the times
that Chinese people have driven well.

Data collected by the CDC on motor-accident-related fatalities shows no significant difference between
race or ethnicity when comparing blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics in the U.S. In a study done by an
Australian University, Asian-Australians were half as likely as native Australian-born people to get into an
automobile accident.

But what about native Chinese people driving in their own country? What is that like?

DRIVING IN CHINA: THE AGGRESSIVE “GET-AHEAD” BEHAVIOR

Someone once told me that driving on the streets in China is like driving on a Mad-Max movie set. To
people who have never been on the road in China, it can be a scary experience.

Although traffic laws and regulations exist, they are not consistently enforced.

Unofficially, pedestrians do not have right of way. It’s a common sight in China to see a car gradually push
its way through a crosswalk. Likewise, jay walking is extremely common.

It’s a running joke that the lines on the ground are for decoration. It doesn’t matter how many lanes there
are, what matters is how many cars can physically fit in to that piece of highway.

In the U.S, the horn is only used for emergencies, to alert someone who is about to crash into you, or to
respond to another driver’s rude behavior. In China, your horn is your voice. You honk for everything –
“Hey, don’t do that!” or “Watch out!” or “Stop moving!” or “I am here” or “Excuse me, I’m changing
lanes,” etc.

Finally, it’s been noted in multiple blogs and articles that some Chinese people tend to have an
“aggressive” behavior when it comes to crowd culture, particularly in mainland China. This includes
pushing and cutting the line when lining up for subways and grocery stores, and translates into driving
behavior as well. (The origin of this behavior might have something to do with the high density of people
competing for few resources, and the idea that if you don’t push ahead you won’t get anywhere.) Most
Chinese drivers never signal when changing lanes, because the person in the lane beside you will speed up
if you do. A key strategy used by many drivers is to physically wedge your car into the spot or lane you
want, regardless of what kind of traffic you are blocking.

CAR CULTURE

In the U.S, there is a distinct car culture among most urban and suburban areas. Many American families
have one car per family member. (This is obviously not the case in major metropolitan areas like New York
City, where public transportation is preferred.) Teenagers learn to drive at around age 15, and get their
junior license right after. Multiple movies make a scene about a teen getting his or her first car, as an
unspoken coming-of-age ritual.

This is not the case in China. Up until recent years, owning a car was a privilege reserved for the wealthy in
China. As the country becomes more developed, cars are becoming more and more popular. In fact, China
is the No.1 car market in the world, with over 21.1 million cars sold in 2015 alone. These numbers also
mean that China has an estimated over 172 million cars on the road. However, with that being said, there
are some other reasons why Chinese families tend to have few cars – space and accessibility of public
transportation.

Real estate is scarce in the majority of Chinese cities, and people often don’t have the luxury of expansive
driveways and wide streets for parking. Add in standstill traffic, and most people would choose to seek
alternative forms of transportation. In large cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the subway is the quickest,
cheapest, and most efficient way to travel. The Chinese government is even building a high speed rail all
the way from Beijing to Zhangjiakou for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The minimum age requirement for getting a license in China is 18 years, which is higher than many other
developed countries. So Chinese teenagers learn how to drive later than their U.S counterparts, and are
subsequently less experienced because of this.

Though the Chinese driver’s license test is actually insanely hard. Students have to pass 4 different exams,
which are the following: traffic laws, behind-the-wheel exam in an obstacle course, behind-the-wheel exam
on an actual road, and finally, an exam on related traffic safety and emergency knowledge. The behind-the-
wheel obstacle course has one section that actually tests your ability to swerve and weave between poles,
perhaps because that is practical driving knowledge in China.

OVERPOPULATION

China has over one-fifth of the world’s population within its borders. Major cities in China like Shanghai
have 14 million people. Of these people, many of them are vehicle drivers, but many more of them are
pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicle owners.

Along with the growing car market in China, the demand for cars has grown exponentially. Having a
“good” car has become a status symbol among the middle and upper class in China. On the other hand, the
road conditions in China have not been renovated to accommodate for the stark rise in demand and the
number of cars on the street.

As a result, the traffic jams during rush hour can be quite headache-inducing. In August 2010, a massive
traffic jam formed on the China National Highway and lasted over 10 days.
So driving in China is not necessarily worse than driving elsewhere, it’s just different. Drivers in China
have to deal with regular hindrances of driving such as weather, road conditions, and traffic while
navigating through ten times the amount of cars and people. If anything, that is a testament to their skill
behind the wheel.

Other events can showcase the Chinese people's skill in driving as well. In some Chinese cities, such as
those that border Hong Kong and Macau, drivers must also learn to switch from driving on the left side of
the road to driving on the right side of the road seamlessly.

In 2012, a Chinese stunt driver named Han Yue broke the Guinness’s World Record for the Tightest
Parallel Parking Job.

And for Chinese immigrants that drive “poorly” in other countries? The issue isn’t Chinese (or Asian)
drivers, the issue is new drivers. Immigrants who recently arrived to countries like the U.S have yet to fully
understand the driving culture and traffic laws. And with the large amounts of immigrants coming from
Asian countries, it just so happens that a lot of these immigrants are Asian.

The same rules apply. If a Westerner were to drive for the first time on a crowded Beijing street with no
previous experience and knowledge of the culture, he’d probably be the worst driver there.
Why are Chinese such bad drivers?
Now I hope you’ll read past the headline before leaving angry comments. You’ll see
that my reasons have nothing to do with genetics or race and everything to do with
culture. After all, driving is so dangerous/crazy/nerve rattling that Beijing has come
out with a 5-year plan to improve “driving manners.”

This list x 1.3 billion people = huge crazy mess

I have a few theories as to why these problems flourish in China, and I think there is
some truth in each of them. But first let’s just clear up any doubt that drivers in China
are awful.
1. Driving is relatively new
My first theory is that most of the drivers on the road are new drivers. In 2010 China
sold 13 million new cars (close to 650,000 of those were in Beijing). That means
roughly 10% of Beijing’s drivers are new drivers, you can imagine the mess that
creates. Some experts estimate that 1 minute of stopped traffic can lead to 1km of
backed-up traffic in Beijing, so you can see how a nervous left-turner could be a big
problem.
This stems from the fact that until the last 5-10 years cars were unavailable to most
people, so few bothered learning how to drive. In other countries people grow up
watching their parents drive, and by the time we get behind the wheel we have an
idea of what driving should look like. In China it’s all new.
2. Driving is a status symbol
This theory ties back into my first point, that private cars are a relatively new thing.
Until 2000 or so having a car meant you were part of the elite. So this idea of
entitlement seems to be lingering in the drivers’ imaginations, even though owning a
car is now a must for establishing yourself as middle class.
I like this theory more and more every time a car honks at me to get out of his way
while they are driving on the sidewalk (yes, this happens weekly). After all, even the
worst driver knows that the sidewalk isn’t for them.
3. Driving rules aren’t enforced
Since I don’t drive in China (partially due to desire to live), I didn’t notice this one
right away, but after watching people cruise through the red light in front of my
apartment for a year it became clear. Traffic laws aren’t enforced by the traffic police,
at all.
When I drive in the US I follow the traffic rules more out of my fear of tickets than out
of respect for the law, and I’m guessing that’s true for most of you too. It’s no wonder
that people only follow the laws when there are traffic cameras.
Side note of Awesome: In Lanzhou a retired school teacher decided to teach bad
drivers a lesson and threw bricks at cars that did not yield to pedestrians.

The number of times I’ve wanted to do this is incalculable

Apparently a few other elderly men joined him, while onlookers rushed to get them
more bricks and food (to keep up their throwing strength). The men damaged 30 cars
before police stopped them. They have become internet heroes here.

Comment[edit]
Not sure where all this is coming from, drove in the mainland for over three years and it was a
pleausre once you get used to the flow of things. Definitely not more dangerous than other
jurisdictions by my observations and nighttime driving is just as fun as anywhere else.
Exactly. The description in the article is how things appear to those coming in from
outside. Once you get used to the idea of traffic rules being optional (I kid, I kid, though
there is a grain of truth in that) it's easy to get around.
What a lot of nonsense from you two above. As far as you are concerned, pedestrians are
not a variable in this equation. The flow of "things" you refer to is equivalent to the flow of
diarrhoea down the toilet pipe. Drivers in China are all a bunch of selfish motherfvckers who
regard pedestrians as worthless pieces of excrement. In Beijing there are roads that are
impossible to cross unless you take chances (which usually involves running across while
cars are approaching fast). I wonder how old people cross roads here. In many places you
have to wait up to 5 minutes for the lights to go RED so that the fvcking cars stop and
pedestrians can cross; then pedestrians only get 30 seconds to make it. I am in my late
twenties and 30 seconds is not long enough to cross certain wide roads. Plus, cars turning
right don't need to stop, which means that there is never a time when pedestrians can cross
without fear of being hit. Zebra crossings are only painted to use up surplus paint, or just
because "if foreigners have them so should we". It is clear that the people who make the
traffic rules in China are the ones who drive their fat rich assess in expensive cars and don't
give a fvck about pedestrians or cyclists. If things look so peachy from your car, perhaps you
should try not using it for a month and then come back here to post you findings. You may be
surprised.

Surely you jest. I wonder where you were driving, because my opinion on the matter sure
differs with yours. I am an excellent driver in Canada with the highest discount on my
insurance. However, I would not even think about driving over here. It's taxis for me.

Me too from Canada, agree with the above. I would lose my driver's license in a day or less if
I'd drive in Canada the same way as the best drivers in Yiwu, Zhejiang do. I however, fell in
love with Chinese people, they are very friendly and helpful except when they are driving.

Are there age limits on driving? What are the minimum and maximum driving ages in China?

Where are the sources to back up all of this?[edit]

Not trying to put down the article but it would be wise to have references to support some of
the claims. I know it would be difficult to find sources (even if you did, it would be in Chinese).
But because this page is probably viewed by many people especially foreigners; what is said
on this page maybe taken seriously. Any personal opinions and stereotypes would be
included and mis-guide the general public.
Sorry anonymous, but I had to revert your changes (that template doesn't work on
Wikitravel). If you check out other pages you'll see that we don't find it necessary to
reference our information. Is there something in particular that you don't agree with in the
article? If yes, please plunge forward and fix it. -- Fastestdogever 01:11, 2 May 2007
(EDT)
Suggested reading: Wikitravel:Be fair and Wikitravel:The traveller comes first. -
- Sapphire • (Talk) • 01:59, 2 May 2007 (EDT)

Comment[edit]
I have lived in Changsha for two years and drive an electric scooter. I found the
article to be about the most accurate thing I've ever read on the Internet regarding
anything about China. The article reads just like HOW IT IS here. It seemed
completely familiar to me and I've forwarded the article to my friends as it describes a
facet of Chinese life better than any other articles I read so far. I've no doubt there
are better or more accurate articles about daily life in China, but I've yet to read them.
This article even FEELS like China.
For what it's worth, having spent about six weeks in China last summer (2007), I find
the characterization of driving in China is spot-on. Beijing was crazy. For example, I
was in one cab where the driver, fed up with a long line of traffic, drove on the wrong
side of a two-way street for about 200 yards before oncoming traffic forced him to
merge back in. At intersections it would only take a half-dozen vehicles to cause a
traffic jam, even in light traffic, because drivers would pull out into the intersection
instead of waiting for the light to change. And waiting for a "walk" signal before
crossing often seemed to be counterproductive (*especially* if there was a bus
coming). Part of my trip was spent in Xi'an, which proved to be quite a bit saner, but
still on the dangerous side. My advice is to try to sit in the back-seat when someone
is driving you (otherwise you have to see what's going on). Or, just take the bus (dirt
cheap, very frequent, and nobody messes with the buses).
If you really want an external source, this site says there are about 680 deaths each
day because of car accidents in China. This is almost six times the number of people
killed each day in 2005 in the United States. Car ownership per capita in China hasn't
reached parity with the United States, which provides some evidence that unsafe
driving behavior is very common in China.
I can testify to that sort of cab driving. I too was in a cab in Nanjing where the
impatient driver decided to hop over the double-yellow line and cut in line at a red
light. She was forced to merge back in by an oncoming bus that being bigger wasn't
going to slow down for the cab...I almost jumped out of the passenger side window in
terror. There were plenty of other crazy things...hopping up on sidewalks, turning
across lanes of traffic, nearly clipping pedestrians, etc. Driving in China, at least in a
larger urban area, is an activity best left to the intrepid. Surviving as a pedestrian in
that melee is difficult enough as it is.
As cabs go I found the Beijing cabs utterly fearless, and Nanjing's almost as bad
(luckily streets aren't big enough there to permit Beijing speeds), and Shanghai's
fairly tame. Didn't go all the way down to Hong Kong, but being ex-British, I'd expect
them to be excellent in comparison. I can't honestly say that I think the Chinese are
bad driver's as they seem to have an uncanny ability to avoid a collision at the last
possible instant--all the time, but I wouldn't say that they would inspire any peace of
mind if I tried to get down the road. If I drove in a city there I can imagine being cut
off by every impatient car on the street, each one barely clipping my front end.
The average driving population is by and large 'new' to driving. On the roads of the
US there are a few teen drivers here and there sprinkled amongst an overwhelming
number of drivers who have decades behind the wheel. Since accessibilty to car
ownership is a recent phenomenon in China, almost all drivers are basically new to
the wheel: a few may have ten years or so, most two/three or less. Ironically the
more experienced drivers were used to having the then empty roads to themselves--
bus drivers, truck drivers, cabs, drivers for party officials and party officials--and so
these drivers are essentially reckless too, if maybe a little more practiced.
Compounding this is the fact that despite what most Americans think about China's
rule of law, the average Chinese driver is blatantly dismissive of traffic policing and
regulations--they know that they can do as they please and probably (the numbers
being what they are) get away with it. If a PSB working the traffic directs a line of cars
to stop or turn you can bet there will be a few who completely disregard him, even
drive around him. I always marveled at that--I suppose those drivers all realize that
statistically there is only a small chance if that they would get in trouble out of the
number of offenders. The police never do anything about it as they're just too busy or
don't care. If the average driver even knows anything about yielding right of way,
traffic signals, and road markings they don't demonstrate it in their driving habits. I
assume every driver just learns how to cope with all of the offensive driving by
becoming more competently offensive themselves in their driving: the best defense is
a good offense after all.
The general unwritten rule of thumb is that vehicles try to get away with as much as
they possibly can without actually coming into contact with something. Opportunism
is the name of the game. The only time one thing yields to another is when they are
smaller of the two. Buses and semis can pretty much drive as they please because
they are the biggest things on the street, and can do more damage to others than
others can to them. Driving there analogous to walking quickly down a busy
sidewalk--there aren't observed lanes or any observed rules...everybody is just doing
their own thing, constantly weaving, going with the flow of the current, cutting where
they can, trying to get where they're going, without a collision.
If I had to drive there I would not do so in the cities, cabs are cheap, and the cab
drivers better than I could hope to be; their beautiful brand-new interstate system on
the other hand seems made for long-distance driving. Oddly enough these seem
very empty compared to their N American counterparts. I'd happily drive these
express routes out in the rural areas. I've heard that on more secondary roads out in
the country-side there will be people and livestock just milling around in the middle of
the road.

The basic rule of the road[edit]

The main article says that it seems to be keep moving no matter what.
On this I disagree. It seems to me that it's anything is ok so long as it does not force
an accident. You don't do something that gives the other driver no way to avoid an
accident.
It's also amazing how different drivers behave when they know there is a cop about.
As all traffic enforcement I have seen has been by cops on foot the drivers often
don't know one is about.
However, to illustrate how bad it can be: I was crossing a street with the light. I was
nearly hit by a bus. I saw the bus coming along in the left turn lane. I wasn't all that
concerned about it as it was quite apparent the bus couldn't actually make a left turn
at that moment, he was going to have to stop. He didn't stop--because he was
making a right turn.

Is this entry becoming too moderate in tone?[edit]

Consider the following paragraph (emphasis added):
Unless you are used to Asian traffic, Chinese drivers in general will seem very
dangerous, even insane or suicidal. To a newcomer, Chinese traffic appears to have
no rules or, if there are rules, it seems they are neither followed nor enforced. In
reality, of course, there are some rules; they are just very different from what
most travelers are used to.
Why have so many qualifiers been added? Driving in Chinese
is incredibly dangerous, not just for drivers and passengers, but for bicyclists and
pedestrians too. While there have been many improvements, it used to be possible
to get a license in China if you could drive a car in a straight line for 30 meters in an
empty lot. Plenty of people on the road in China do not know basic traffic laws or
simply do not care. Driving etiquette is generally minimal and often comes down to
laying down the horn before pulling an illegal and dangerous maneuver such as
driving down the sidewalk, going down the wrong way of the street, or entering a
busy intersection when the light is red.
The driving situation in China does not just appear to be dangerous because of
differences in cultural norms and perspectives. The driving situation in
China absolutely is significantly more dangerous than the driving situation in much
 of the world. Couching the danger with less direct wording will not help prepare
visitors for the risk they face when they travel to China.
I wrote that, trying to tone down warnings I thought were over the top. You're right; I went
too far. I've now rewritten that paragraph. Pashley 00:10, 22 October 2008 (EDT)
The rewritten paragraph is much better. And it is accurate. I personally never saw a car
accident in China during my stay there. Most drivers there are good at following the most
important "don't hit anything and don't get hit by anything" rules.

Hi, I am in Changzhou atm, I just came up here from Macau, HK and GZ, I
do agree with the photo satire, lol, it is effing crazy here, who ever is 1st,
gets the right of way, errr....this does not include bikes, moped, pedestrians,
but only equal sized cars....\i think hummers and full size suv's and cars with
army plates are the exception to this group. Just a few hours ago we were in
a cab and we were on a 6 lane road coming back to my inlaws place, the
cabbie drove into oncoming traffic 2 lanes over into the wrong direction and
you know whats funny, no one honked at him, they all just got out of the way
because there was room to do so.
In all honesty, we have travelled quite a ways so far in the past 3 weeks and
I thought I would see alot of accidents and mahem, but all I have seen so far
is a little kid rolling down the street after he fell off the 3 wheeler bike with a
piece of plywood roped onto the back somehow, that his mom was riding,
along with grandma and about 4-5 other brother, sisters or friends all
hanging onto something for the ride.
While I saw traffic signs indicating, or maybe suggesting speeds, and saying
no horn, I can't recall seeing a single yield or stop sign. Maybe I just didn't
recognize the format for them. But I suspect the Chinese don't have stop
signs...just lights to control busy intersections. China doesn't seem to have
the hierarchy of streets the US has...alleys, residential streets, feeder
avenues/blvds, highways, and finally interstates. Over there it seems to be
hutong alleys emptying out onto massive multilane roads; that's it.

What Rules ?[edit]

As I am considering the possiblity of driving on my next visit to China I
thought I would have a look on Wiki to see what advice it could give me.
Haha... I'm so glad that I'm not alone in what I think of Chinese driving !
On my previous visit my Chinese fiancee was in charge of all the travel
arrangements (not least because she was the only one of us who had the
faintest idea of where we were going), but she doesn't drive so we got about
by airplane, bus, taxi, brother's car, office car (with office driver) etc etc or
good old Shanks's Pony.
Arriving originally in Hong Kong, we had hardly got as far as Shenzhen on
the bus and I was already starting to wonder what I was seeing.
By the time we had been to Guangzhou and finally arrived in Nanning I had
come to the conclusion that there was actually only one "rule of the road" in
China and that was that one stops at a red light.
Finally content with that, we were in a taxi going back to our hotel one day
and, as we got to the junction by the hotel, both our taxi and the bus it was
overtaking went clean through a red light !! That was it... I threw my hands
up in the air in horror and said to my fiancee "I don't believe it ! You're all
mad !"
 We laugh about it, but hells teeth... even a Parisian taxi driver would do well
to stay sane over there !
Perhaps the fact that an International Driving License isn't recognised in
China at present is a blessing in disguise.
Chinese traffic is distinctly dangerous for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Road accidents in
China are common and often fatal.
According to Chinese statistics [2], China has about 100,000 traffic deaths a year, more than
twice the number in United States even though the US has more than four times as many
cars [3], [4]. According to the World Health Organisation [5] "In China, traffic accidents are the
leading cause of death for people between 15 and 45" and the annual Chinese traffic death toll is
near 250,000 [6].
To a newcomer, Chinese traffic appears to have no rules or, if there are rules, it appears they are
neither followed nor enforced. In reality, of course, there are rules; they do generally manage to
avoid hitting each other. However, Chinese rules are very different from what most travellers are
used to. To Western eyes, appallingly bad driving is the norm, and insane or suicidal behaviour
behind the wheel is fairly common.
Do not assume that Chinese drivers will follow any rule you know.
Foreign drivers must try to adapt to this (or, perhaps more sensibly, give up and take taxis or hire
a driver). You do not have to learn to drive like a Chinese, but at least you should not be
surprised when they do. There is absolutely no point getting angry if someone cuts you off or
drives against the red light or on the wrong side of the road. You simply yield and carry on as if
nothing had happened.
Every car/driver has a "body language" which predicts what they will do next. It is essential to
learn this "body language" and drive by it. If you are driving down a four lane road, and the lane in
front of the taxi to the right of you and slightly ahead of you is blocked, the lane ahead is free, you
should immediately assume the taxi will move left into your lane without any warning. This sort of
thinking ahead, or defensive driving, can help you avoid many problems but of course you cannot
predict everything that may happen.
Another way to look at it is that there are only two rules you must obey, both equally important.
Don't hit anything, and don't get hit by anything.
Despite all the above, many foreigners do drive in China and, after adapting, some feel
reasonably comfortable and confident about it.

The Mindset of a Chinese driver[edit]

Another point to understand driving in China is that there are lots of people and that affects how
they interact with each other. For example, when buying tickets, instead of lining up in an orderly
queue, they crowd around and push their way in. In Canada, if this happened, a fight would start.
In China, they just go about their business. On the road you see similar behaviour; everybody
jostling to get ahead. However, you seldom see behaviours such as road rage like in Australia.
(This is not completely true. It depends on which province. In Liaoning you will often encounter
fist fights during disturbances. This will happen not only between men but also women. And you
do not have to be part of the "accident" to participate. Anyone in the generally incensed crowd
can participate.)
In the UK, you can often get away with certain things, such as parking on pavements, and waiting
in no-parking areas, as enforcement of traffic rules for some laws is lax and for expediency,
drivers bend the rules in some places. If you choose to break the rules, you use your own
judgement when doing so. The same thing applies when driving in China. Since a number of
traffic violations are not strictly enforced.
With all the chaos on the road, Chinese drivers tend to be more liberal with the horn. Driving is a
noisy affair. They use their horn to bring awareness to other drivers and to remind other drivers
they are there. Large vehicles such as trucks and buses have loud air horns and will blare them
when overtaking vehicles. In western countries, a horn is used when immediate danger is
sensed. It is considered rude to honk the horn, but Chinese drivers do it constantly to
communicate with others. The Chinese written driving test even recommends using the horn or
flashing lights in addition to indicator lights when overtaking.

Right of way[edit]
The concept of right-of-way is quite different in China than in many other countries. "First is
Right," or less succinctly, any vehicle with a slight position lead or access to a gap before another
vehicle has de-facto right of way to enter that gap. This essentially allows for any driver the habit
of cutting right out into the traffic flow forcing the opposing vehicle to either stop or crash. This
rule applies to lane changes too that can come at anytime from any angle. Be alert to brake at
any moment! If you do not force your way in, you will not ever be allowed to enter the flow of
traffic at busy sections.
Merging: vehicles depart from intersections, side streets, alleys and parking lots, merging onto
any road without yielding to traffic already underway on that road (and often apparently without a
glance at oncoming traffic). If the merging driver can reach any opening in traffic, the oncoming
cars are expected to yield and allow the merge.
Lane Changes: lane changes and turns are more often than not signaled, but then the "first is
right" rule reigns, and yielding is expected of a trailing vehicle, even if only trailing by a small
margin. Imagine where the collision dent will be: if someone enters your lane and you strike
the side of their vehicle, it will be assumed that you failed to yield even though they cut you off.
Left turns: at intersections, upon a green-from-red light change, vehicles intending to turn left
across straight-through traffic will usually enter the intersection to accomplish their turn before
straight-through traffic can proceed. While this may be reasonable in intersections without a
dedicated Left Turn Arrow, expect this to occur even if there is little or no straight-through traffic
approaching the intersection. Allowing the turning vehicle(s) to complete the maneuver is the best
practice. Such turns are aided by the "yellow-before-green" traffic light sequence common in
China. Furthermore, observe this protocol and use a "red-to-green" light change as de-facto Left
Turn Arrow. If possible use a leading turning vehicle as a shield. Be aware that vehicles behind
you (using you as a shield) will often try to veer to either side of you, completing their turn without
regard for your situation.
(Note that large intersections may have specific left turn lights, which eliminates this problem, but
beware of intersections that have signs PROHIBIT left turns during certain hours--neglect this and
you may be caught by police and fined. Chinese drivers often complain about these intersections)
As always, "first is right"; trailing traffic is expected to yield. In other words, a "new" green light is
usually regarded as a "left arrow", unless a left turn light is present.
Regarding left-hand turns in general; a vehicle desiring to turn left across oncoming traffic will not
consistently yield to oncoming, established traffic and await a "safe" opening. Any opening may
be exploited, the required minimum size of the opening apparently depends on the left turning
driver's sense of self-preservation (larger vehicles and poorer quality vehicles will take more
chances). Oncoming vehicles that slow in wariness of a possible ill-advised turn, will often prompt
the turning driver to commit. Oncoming drivers are advised to continue without pause, while
preparing for heavy braking or lane changes to accommodate the turner.
In summary, in western countries, the general rule is cars should yield to avoid disrupting and
impeding already flowing traffic. The "first is right" rule violates this general rule. In western
countries a common traffic pattern in a city is stop, wait for traffic signal, race to next traffic light
and repeat. They may be moving to fast to yield to other cars. In China, vehicles can be expected
to yield at any time, and traffic in cities tends moves in a slow, steady manner.
Car-pedestrian interactions are complicated; ubiquitous pedestrians, bikes, and cycles, often
acting oblivious or even negligent toward surrounding traffic, are generally considered to have
possessed Right of Way in any collision between them and a vehicle. If a larger vehicle strikes a
pedestrian or rider, the larger vehicle will generally be assumed liable. Bearing that in mind,
vehicles will use their speed and security advantage, and often the horn, to maneuver through
even densely occupied crossings. Aware pedestrians will generally expect a vehicle will force
through a walk way, and are often confused if the vehicle halts to allow them passage. Painted
cross walks (white bars painted on road ways) are hardly typically observed as "pedestrian
protected" areas, but woe to a driver who strikes a pedestrian there. Never assume a driver will
actually stop for you at a marked crossing. Drivers will actually push anything in front of them off
the sidewalk or side of the road, it is assumed you will move out of their way.
The "first is right" rule can be applied to car-pedestrian interactions too. If you are standing on a
sidewalk at a cross walk, the driver will assume they were there first and will not yield to you. If
you, the pedestrian, are already crossing, a car will have no choice but to slow down or drive
around you to avoid you.
The general rule appears to be keep moving no matter what. Cutting people off, swerving into the
oncoming lane, driving on the shoulder, or in a fenced-off bicycle lane, or the wrong way down a
divided highway are all fine as long as they keep you moving in the right general direction and do
not cause an immediate accident. If you were to wait for every person, scooter, or car, you could
be in for a very long and frustrating wait. In some situations, it is perfectly normal to see cars and
trucks and motorcycles all on the sidewalk along with pedestrians and bikes all going their own
separate ways! Taxis are the worst offenders of this very dangerous habit.

Running red lights[edit]

Chinese drivers routinely go through red lights if there is no opposing traffic. Pedestrians do not
count as traffic; just honk at them to get out of the way or swerve around them. It is also
moderately common to run red lights even in the presence of other traffic.
A retired teacher in Lanzhou became a bit of a hero on the Chinese Internet in 2009 with his
campaign to make an intersection near his home safer. He took to hurling bricks at cars that ran
the lights [7] and hit over 30 before the police turned up.
Many drivers of very large construction trucks prefer to drive late at night (10pm-4am) on many
roads such as the Jingmilu (Beijing). These drivers are paid by how many trips they make and
because of this they are notorious among Chinese and Expatriates for running red lights,
seemingly without slowing down.
As the car culture grows in China, the rules have become stricter. For example, in places where
there are red light cameras to capture cars running red lights, cars will stop to avoid the fines.

Two-way traffic everywhere[edit]

Bicycles and motorcycles and sometimes cars ignore one-way signs. On divided highways,
seeing pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles going the wrong way down the shoulder is entirely
normal, and a few go the wrong way beside the center fence. A typical situation you may
encounter is a two way road with traffic in opposite directions and center median or fence that
prevents vehicles from crossing. There will be gaps in certain parts of the medians to allow left
turns. If a vehicle attempting to make a left turn out of a driveway finds there is no gap in the
median immediately in front of the driveway, they will usually enter road and drive the wrong way
along the center median until they can find a gap and merge into the opposing lane that goes in
the correct direction. Another situation where they drive the wrong way is if a vehicle wants to
make a left turn off a two-way road with the center median or fence and drive into a driveway, but
the driveway is not conveniently located near a gap in the median or fence. They will cross the
center median in a gap before their destination driveway, drive the wrong way in the oncoming
traffic lane, and exit the road when they reach their driveway. These maneuvers save the effort of
travelling a distance and making a u-turn.
At traffic circles (roundabouts), drivers hate going around the island in the middle if they can avoid
it; they will often just swing left instead. Lane markings are also routinely ignored; for example,
taxis often go straight through an intersection via a lane marked as left turn only, because that
gets them past other cars.
On newer roads there may be, for example, a roughly triangular traffic island southeast of an
actual intersection to facilitate right turns. Two sides are roads; the third is a curving lane intended
for drivers making a right turn from northbound to eastbound. In China, drivers turning left from
westbound to southbound routinely use that lane.
Many Chinese cities have bicycle lanes fenced off on either side of the road. These lanes will
carry two-way traffic regardless of the direction of the traffic flow: including bicycles and
motorcycles plus the occasional car, truck and pedestrians. Cars routinely take to these lanes if
traffic in the main lanes is jammed; they then honk at bicyclists to force them out of the way using
their horn as a form of "sonic plow" clearing the way in front of them. The driver is operating
under the assumption you will move and if you don't move in a timely fashion you are risking
being struck down if walking or on a bicycle and will most likely be blamed.
Even the sidewalks often carry two-way bicycle and motorcycle traffic, plus the odd car going to
or from a parking spot. Cars again operate under the assumption they own the sidewalk and its
up to you to get out of their way. Again, even on the sidewalks, vehicles honk at pedestrians to
get them out of their way.

Lights on[edit]
Lorry drivers may not bother with switching on lights at night. You should. Switch on your
headlamps--all lights on, in fact, if there is no other vehicle approaching you. Please be aware in
doing this, if the local police catch you in a vehicle with lights on during daytime, you will be fined.
Few Chinese drivers seem to know about dimming their headlights for approaching cars. Except
on some freeways, driving at night is unpleasant and dangerous. Avoid it if at all possible.
When driving at night, be very aware that people often walk in the middle of the road, with the
back to the oncoming traffic, in dark clothes. This is one reason local drivers do not often dip the
lights. In the country, there may even be people sleeping on the road.
Bicycles very rarely have lights and many do not even have reflectors. Motorcycles often run at
night without lights. Both are sometimes on the wrong side of the road. On country roads, electric
bike riders turn off their lights to save battery power.

Other oddities[edit]

Taxi whizzing by a confusing traffic sign.

Overtaking on the right, despite being illegal, is very common in China. One reason is that slow
vehicles often drive in the center lane of multi-lane roads, If you find yourself behind such a
vehicle and want to pass on the right, be alert for anything from motorcycles to horse-drawn carts
in the right lane.
Public buses and many private buses, rather than acting as professional drivers responsible to
their human cargo, are often among the most aggressive drivers; Many in the countryside
routinely ignore stoplights or fail to slow while turning, will pass stopped or slower traffic even if
this requires using the oncoming traffic lanes, and will often employ their sheer size to enforce
merging. Again, "first is right": if the front of a vehicle hits the side or rear of another vehicle, the
front-dented vehicle is assumed at fault, no matter the circumstances that preceded the collision.

New drivers[edit]
New drivers are often marked with the label 实习, but their driving quality varies from acceptable
to deplorable. Stay away from them if you can--they are often overwhelmed by the traffic as well.

Motorcycles[edit]