I recently purchased a scooter here in Taiwan (I think I was the only person in Taiwan who didn't have one) and I have realised more and more just how poorly Taiwanese drive which is disappointing for a first world (or aspiring to be) country. Their driving isn't even close to a third world county, it is way, way worse.

The problem here is a total lack of respect for the rules of the road, a me, me first attitude and a total lack of law enforcement (Taiwan has a non-confrontational society) so the police just don't give a flying fig and so the carnage continues.

China is pretty much the same as is the Philippines and in Korea I didn't drive on the roads other than to ride my bicycle where there no cycle paths and the driving I experienced there was pretty poor too.

My home country is pretty well-known for carnage on the roads though I think the law enforcement is better, albeit about parking infringements a lot of the time but they do nail you for speeding and jumping red traffic lights etc. via cameras.

So, is this the trend in all countries? Are we humans just self-centered, pathetic drivers or are drivers in your country good?

Be interested to hear.

Ah, this kind of thread again... oh well, it helps vent the frustration.


Bali
The place I'd never want to drive has got to be Bali. I have a special hatred for driving amongst a horde of scooters and that's what Bali is.

South Africa
The driving varies greatly depending on the city, but also the area. In Cape Town, minibus taxis are similar in many ways to the Korean taxi drivers in their etiquette and respect for the rules of the road. The SA Taxi drivers are more of a hazard as they're cramming in at least 15 passengers and putting in people beyond capacity is pretty normal. The other hazard on CT roads are the 'dicers' (street racers). Your average Cape Town dicer drives a piece of sh*t jalopy, has a massive ego and is constantly trying to get from A to B as fast as possible. That said, I believe Saffa drivers have a relatively high level of skill they're also rather courteous, people wave a quick thanks to the person who'll leave them a gap so they can merge in.

South Korea

- Lack of enforcement, never have I seen so many people yapping on their phones or texting while driving
- Lack of respect for the rules of the road. I'm curious as to how many Koreans know how a damn roundabout or 4-way stop works. No, it's NOT whoever forces their way.
- Supreme selfishness, particularly when parking and parking in handicapped zones... f*ck you.
- Nobody "gives a show" (slows down or leaves space to allow another driver to merge in move ahead of you)
- Koreans are generally very unskilled at driving; a terrible sense of spacial awareness, tendency to panic, complete obliviousness
  and THE INABILITY TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT BLOODY SPEED! It's hard break or full accelerate, nothing else. I swear, Mrs Kim's
  little size 5 feet turn into a damn elephant's foot when she gets behind the wheel.

That's my opinion. While Bali is the place I wouldn't want to drive, Korea has the worst drivers since Koreans generally have the lowest level of driving skill I've witnessed.

I hear Rome is one of the worst cities to drive in.

'Car accident' is the #1 cause of tourist deaths.

Ah, this kind of thread again... oh well, it helps vent the frustration.

It was not meant to be a Korea bashing thread, I am genuinely interested. I have lived in 6 countries and all of the driving sucked (except perhaps Namibia, I was only in Grade 8 when I lived there and in a tiny town without much traffic but I remember my cousins always driving at 160 plus between towns because it is so wide open and the only real and present danger was having a kudu jump in front of your car).

I really get the feeling that humans suck as drivers because we are all basically selfish and it is worse in some countries because of the lack of spatial awareness and particular to Taiwan, they seem to have no concept of danger. They will run a red light with impunity, enter a main road without so much as a glance to check oncoming traffic, not adjusting their speed to weather conditions, raining, no problem let's drive faster and more recklessly.

I think what pkjh said is relevant too. Road conditions in Asia are quite different from the West. Just one example here and elsewhere in Asia is the lack of loading bays. The result trucks are parked in the right traffic lane making it really dangerous for particularly scooter riders here in Taiwan because that lane is often a dedicated scooter lane and with the amount of scooters on the road here it become a real hazard and they  change lanes without warning or as you approach the truck they open the door in your face without bothering to check if there is oncoming traffic.

The scariest place I remember driving was in Malta, they drive on the same side of the road as the UK, the condition of the roads were good, I was lulled into a false sense of security and then boom. crazy island driving. 

I don't think driving in Korea is that bad, you just have to remember that drivers here are very aggressive, leave a gap and someone will be in it without any use of their signal.  Busan however, Busan is hell for driving, I don't know why it is so much worse than anywhere else in the country.

I do however hate being a passenger in a car here, The lead footed-ness of it all, 100% accelerate or 100% break, makes me quite car sick.  Is this a symptom of learning how to drive with automatics?  it's like go-karting.

v^ap_or^wa_ve

I hear Rome is one of the worst cities to drive in.

'Car accident' is the #1 cause of tourist deaths.

Everyone drives like 100kph on tiny one-way medieval streets. To cross the street you basically have to run out into the road and hope the drivers are paying attention and brake in time.

Kind of surprised to hear about Taiwan, I visited Taipei a few years ago and found the drivers to be really courteous. They'd always stop for crossing pedestrians and drive at a sensible speed. The scooters were a bit bonkers but seemed to follow some kind of predictable routine.

In Taipei mostly they are courteous but here in the provinces not so much. Mostly in the bigger cities they are stricter except for Kaohsuing where I hear lots of complaints. I live in a small city and the drivers are mentally deranged especially the food delivery guys that drive like complete morons. 99% of the problems are scooter riders and truck drivers, the cars aren't too bad.

My wife visited me from Philippines where the driving is similar and after one day she looked at me and said they are insane. So, it must be pretty bad if a Filipino complains.   

scooters everywhere are nuts. idk about the cars, but vespa drivers in italy are total psychopaths