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Posts: 1059

Shifu

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Q: Chinas driving law

I just got told that you can drive through a red light if you are turning right is this true?I got a taxi home last night and the driver went through a red light as he was turning right. he tried to drive through people using the crossing when it was there turn to cross the road.

 

why would they make such a stupid law like this?

 

8 years 33 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
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Shifu

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China has driving laws?

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Emperor

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It is allowed and in my view is stupid.......the driver is supposed to give way to pedestrians but we know what that means....they just try to drive through them! China isn't the only country with this rule.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_turn_on_red

 

While double checking this I found a perfect explanation of the phrase "right of way" as it applies in China "for all intents and purposes, that the person who is in the way (first) has the right. In practice, this translates into motorists and cyclists turning or merging straight into the path of other traffic believing that the onus is on the other person to avoid a collision."

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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I was thinking about this yesterday on my way home... I noticed at many intersections there is no stop/go signal to "turn right". So yeah probably it's allowed. (I'm in suzhou). Though, I have no idea why that is...

Josch:

Another Suzhou fella.

 

Indeed I have the feeling that they just turn right without looking (or focussing on their phone while turning).

 

More than one time I was nearly killed while going straight at green (!) light on my scooter.

Still Suzhou is a pretty safe city to drive.

 

8 years 33 weeks ago
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Karma101:

You know!! It's funny, I read many expats living in Suzhou… But I haven’t met a single expat in last one year. It’s maybe the district I live in... 

8 years 32 weeks ago
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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Lots of Countries have this.Including Canada and America.  China should not. Knowingly mixing pedestrians and drivers like that is just begging for trouble.  It is actually confusing here because it changes from light to light. Often times you will see two red lights  side by side on a two lane road. They will have a green arrow to turn , so when that changes red people assume you can not turn right. So they put up signs  that you will see up there at the red lights and it tells them they can turn when its red. 

 

Unfortunately that sign doesnt specifically tell people not to mow over pedestrians that are using the crosswalk. Common sense is lost here so perhaps the signs should. 

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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China has driving laws?

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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It's allowed by law, but the law also says that the drivers should yield to the pedestrians. Yeah good luck with that.

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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yes its ok ehen your going around town notice thetr are no stop signs its crazy ive almost been hit on numerous ocasions when i drive

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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yes it is legal... but also among other instructions as Burak already said drivers are supposed to DEFINITELY yield to pedestrians...even if they are jaywalking..that's what the driving test on the computer says.. but in reality..who cares?? one of the laws is that you are not allowed to enter an intersection area if you see that the intersection is already blocked by other vehicles. in this case you are supposed to wait outside the intersection even if the signal is green.. but I see people cramming their cars in the intersection completely disobeying...

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Drivers tend to yield to foreigners with angry expressions on their face when looking at them heading towards the intersection...

 

Not only is that law in place, but it also means so many morons will pretend to turn right, and then turn back again to continue on straight, doing the "Oh, I was going to, and then changed my mind"... or a "double-right turn". To me, they just look like wankers!

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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In China, driving laws are more like driving suggestions.

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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I had no idea of this law, but seems of little use to me as everywhere I drive I only need to go straight or turn left at the lights. Good to keep in mind though. 

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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Yes, its a new law that came out 2 months ago, they wanted to ease traffic so they allowed drivers to turn right on a red light now.. It was in the Shenzhen Daily..

Shining_brow:

I've seen it happen in all the 6 years I've been here in China... (though, not in Shenzhen)

8 years 32 weeks ago
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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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The signs saying when this is allowed are in Zhuhai often hidden behind trees, so the only real reason to tell is if someone behind you is honking. That also means that if you are in a right turn lane you can make people drive straight into sideways traffic by honking at them. 

In Zhuhai this law has been on and off a couple of times over the last years. 

 

I agree with the above that China should not have this law, simply because it makes the life of the pedestrians too dangerous. But what I don't understand is why is this done at a local level, not at central level. E.g. individual cities decide on what parts of the laws on driving are they enforcing ? 

 

The actual rules on the road are very much like they are in the civilized world, enforcement non existent and people seems hell-bent on disobeying rules. 

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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What gets me here are the light controlled crossroads, where the minor road crossing the major road, gets the green light at the same time as the green man appears for pedestrians to cross. So you end up with cars turning left and right on the main road that is full of people trying to cross.

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8 years 33 weeks ago
 
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This rule/law would make sense, if there was no separate lane for Bikes.... Or may be if there is also a law which gives the priority to the bikers lane? but I don't see that happening either...
 

 

hu knows? 

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8 years 32 weeks ago
 
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noA pedestrian crossing is just a target rich environment for cars in China

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8 years 32 weeks ago
 
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As a pedestrian, i just avoid crossings altogether. Even if there are traffic lights and zebra crossings, it's just safer: Look left, look right, look for police, then cross the straight section of road.

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8 years 32 weeks ago
 
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