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50 Unwritten Traffic Rules in Taiwan

6/24/2020

19 Comments

 

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As a long-time driver/scooter rider/cyclist in Taiwan, I have seen my fair share of bad driving. Taiwan has its own unique driving culture, which combined with a lack of proper traffic law enforcement has created many bad habits among Taiwanese drivers. Below is a list of some of the quirky bad habits and customs you can see on the roads in Taiwan.

Please note that the following is satire and not to be taken seriously. Please do not perform any of the following. Please follow all the traffic laws of the Republic of China. Please be safe while driving or riding a scooter in Taiwan. Multiple people are injured and killed in traffic accidents in Taiwan every day, partly because they follow these dangerous unwritten rules. Most of these are just bad habits shared by many Taiwanese drivers.
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Unwritten road culture for driving on the National Highways in Taiwan 
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1. You are on Taiwan's version of the Autobahn. Speed limits don't apply between speed cameras.

2. If someone merges in front of you, flash your high beams and ride their bumper to show your dominance.

3. Every lane is a passing lane

4. If you are in a BMW, go twice the speed as everyone else 

5. Never allow anyone to merge in front of you. 

6. Forget about safe following distances 


7. You are actually in a video game. There is no danger if you crash.

8. When passing the car in front, get as close to the back bumper as possible


9. Slow cars stay in any lane. 

10. If it's raining so hard you can't see your own hood, do not adjust speed or following distance.
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Unwritten Rules for Scooters
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11. When turning right, never look to the left toward oncoming traffic. Everyone will yield to you.

12. When turning right, if you are riding a scooter there is no need to look left toward oncoming traffic because you are small enough that other vehicles can easily avoid you. 

13. When turning left, creep slowly into moving traffic until everyone stops for you. 

14. Helmets are only required in Taipei City.

15. Wearing flip flops while riding a scooter is okay, because who knows when it will rain?

16. It's okay to strap a baby to your body using a baby carrier while riding a scooter. Helmets are not required for such babies because lets be honest they do not sell helmets small enough for newborn infants in Taiwan. 

17. Before you leave, make sure you fit as many people and/or animals on the scooter as possible. For instance, two parents strapped to two toddlers, an older kid in the middle, another toddler standing in front, and a dog sitting on the floor. 

18. Using a wooden stool on the scooter is an acceptable seat for children.

19. Holding an infant on your lap in a car is okay because the infant does not like his/her car seat.

20. If your scooter fails the emissions test, just keep riding it. The cops will never pull you over. Until they do.

More General Unwritten Rules
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21. If you live on an outer island like Lanyu, license plates and car insurance are optional. 

22. Always smoke a cigarette, chew binlang, and hold a beer bottle while riding a scooter or driving a car. 

23. Blinkers are optional.

24. Don't ever use your rear-view mirrors. Everyone riding/driving behind you needs to respect you at all times. 
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25. When stopped at a stop light on a sunny day, always stop under the shade.

26. It's okay to cut people off if you are in a hurry. 

27. The Beiyi Highway (北宜公路) is your personal motorcycle racetrack. 

28. If riding a scooter, sidewalks are fair game. 

29. If you are stopped at a red light waiting for pedestrians, it's okay to walk your scooter across the street to the lane you want.

30. It's okay to go the wrong way down the street against traffic if it's only for one block.

​31. Yield for ambulances and police cars only if it is convenient.
​

32. If you are driving a bus, you own the road. Yield to no one, especially not cyclists or pedestrians. 

33. Red lights mean nothing unless there are cars in the intersection that physically stop you from passing through.

34. Cyclists are like ants. They move slowly and you should run over them.

35. If someone cuts you off, you need to honk your horn as long as possible.
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36. If someone honks at you after you cut them off, get out of your car and have an oral argument with them.

37. If someone gets out of their car to get into an oral argument with you after honking your horn at them, get out your baseball bat and threaten to hit their car.

38. If someone pulls a baseball bat on you, it's time to run.

39. If you get in a minor accident, just let it go unless the driver looks like they have money.

40. Try to solve all car accidents first with cash.

41. If the lane is closing, merge at the last possible moment or just keep driving on the shoulder.

42. Seat belts are optional unless you are driving on the freeway.

43. If you drive a Tesla, there is no need to pay attention during autopilot mode. 

44. If you drive a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, or even a Mercedes, BMW, etc. you have permission to drive fast and terribly at all times.

45. If you drive a car more than 10 years old, you deserve to get passed on the highway by everyone with a newer car.
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46. Parking on the red line is fine as long as it is not downtown Taipei during the day. It's a lot cheaper than parking in those pesky white parking spaces (see above).

47. Parking on red lines is fine if it's not more than 15 minutes. Just put on your hazards.

48. Parking in the middle of the road/intersection is fine as long as you put on your hazard lights. Come on, everyone knows there are no parking spots in Taiwan.

49. Park anywhere you want unless there is a cop nearby.
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50. Drive as fast and as terribly as you want unless there is a cop/speed camera in sight.​​​

Thanks for reading, and please do not do any of the above, except maybe stop in the shade. Be sure to follow us for more Taiwan-related posts to come. 
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19 Comments
Sam J Small
8/24/2021 08:38:31 am

All traffic scooters, trucks, or cars turn left from the right lane, turn right from the left lane without signaling, double and triple parking in red zones is considered standard and when approaching an intersection go ahead and follow the 4 or 5 cars that run the red light, just stay close to their bumper.

Reply
twentyfirstidentity
8/24/2021 09:12:52 am

Very funny. And depressingly true.

Reply
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elaine drake
3/13/2022 01:41:45 am

If driving a three wheeler, center the front wheel on the dotted line

Reply
Bas
4/10/2022 01:06:08 pm

Nice one!
Some of my favorite additional rules:
Never stop if you cause an accident. You're only responsible if it's on camera.
Break check anywhere anytime.
On windy mountain roads make sure to drive dead center on the meridian.
Always cut corners at blind turns on mountain roads and make sure to always pass any car or scooter in front of you.
If no where to pass there's always plenty of space for 3scooters riding side by side in one lane.
It's mandatory to race anyone trying to pass your car especially if there is oncoming traffic.
If you avoided a fender bender by a hair go ahead and fender bend just for the fun of it.
If you got into a fender bender quote the other party enough to get your whole car repainted and all the other dings taken care of too.
...
I could go on for a while 😂

Reply
Sebastien Maurice
4/17/2022 06:54:45 pm

Hilarious 😂

Reply
Bryn
5/16/2022 11:38:56 am

If you are on a scooter turning right then it’s ok to slip through on the footpath when the traffic light is red.

Reply
Bryn
5/16/2022 11:45:46 am

If you are an elderly person with a walking frame then is ok for you to cross the road anyplace at anytime no matter how much traffic there is or how fast it’s going. You can expect the traffic will just screech to a stop while you take 10 minutes to cross over.

Reply
Bryn
5/16/2022 11:48:00 am

If you are driving a blue truck then you can do anything you like on the road, everyone will just get out of your way.

Reply
Bryn
5/16/2022 11:51:33 am

If you are riding a scooter carrying a load it’s ok to load it up high so long as you can get under a bridge. The load does not need to be tied down or balanced. You get more points if you also weave in and out among cars stopped at traffic lights.

Reply
Bryn
5/16/2022 11:54:11 am

If the traffic is congested and everyone is waiting at the lights it’s ok on a scooter to go onto the footpath to get to the front. Extra points if you bowl over a pedestrian.

Reply
Wyeth
5/16/2022 11:40:43 pm

Scooters/cars will turn their signal lights when they're about to do the left/right turn .

Reply
Peter
5/17/2022 01:31:07 pm

I don't know what planet the author is living in. I lived and drived in Taiwan for 5 years (car and scooter). I have done at minimum 100 laps around the island. You will see many of these things but only occasionally. They are the assholes that make life a little harder. However, I moved to Thailand with my wife after we graduated and this list is the norm. Here in Thailand everything listed is common practice. Moreover, Taiwan is continually improving how they teach drivers and disincentivise bad behavior. Thailand is stuck in time with bad driving habits. If you made it this far; yes, sometimes you will see bad drivers in Taiwan (like everywhere). But mostly driving in the countryside is relaxing and driving in the city is stressful, but the situation continues to improve.

Note to author: I hope you have fun sensationalizing for clicks. You remind me of the self entitled assholes you are describing in your list.

Reply
taipeir
5/19/2022 04:51:54 am

I lived in Taiwan for decades all these observations are dead right.

Thai people drive slower than Taiwanese actually.

Reply
Rejean Giasson
12/14/2022 12:45:47 pm

It is funny. Got worst place like Philippines and India where the rules is the biggest or the richest win.

Reply
Tanya
5/18/2022 11:00:38 am

I could add so much more to this list. Even cops violate standard rules of safety and etiquette. It feels like barely 10% drive with competence and consideration for others. Even friends I know, love, and respect just meld with the unnecessary and rude mayhem. We're capable of better.

Reply
Mark
5/19/2022 11:41:59 am

You forgot my favorite: following lane shifts at intersections is optional. Just keep going straight into other peoples lanes. Don’t worry, they will all yield to you. Lol

Reply
Steve
1/3/2023 05:14:13 pm

-Always try to beat the red light during heavy traffic. It's ok to completely block the intersection.

-When driving out of a narrow alley, do not stop or slow down before the sidewalk and hope there are no pedestrians walking by.

-Don't worry about taking a detour, just drive through a crowded night market or pedestrian street.

-If you're a bus driver, accelerate as you approach a bus stop and then slam on the brakes at the last second to send your passengers flying.

Reply
Murray
1/4/2023 08:37:27 am

51. A pedestrian crossing marks the spot where a pedestrian is most likely to get run down.

Reply

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     Author 作家

    We are US Expats that have extensive experience living, working, and travelling in Taiwan. In our day, we had to learn many things about Taiwan the hard way. But we have come to learn that Taiwan is one of the best places in the world for Foreigners to live. ​Our blog does not represent the opinions of every foreigner in Taiwan. We are just trying to help others learn more about this beautiful country.

    ​​我們是在台灣的外國人!我們透過額部落格想要幫助外國人了解台灣生活,旅遊,和商業的環境!我們不代表所有在台灣的外國人, 我們只是想要幫助世界各地的人了解台灣美好的一切! (美國人在管理)

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