Craig Dodge Taiwan

As I've written before, many of the students who graduated from ChuLin Senior High School this year were my first group of students 5 years ago when they were 8th graders (junior 2). I feel so lucky to be a part of their lives as they mature into young adults and move on into the world.

One of the things that takes me a little getting used to is seeing them driving scooters. It seems like just yesterday that they were kids, but when I see them on their scooters, I realize they are adults now. But it also scares me a little, not because I don't have faith in their driving skills necessarily, but because driving in Taiwan is about as dangerous a place as any I've ever been. Drivers routinely ignore not only safe driving rules, but even ignore the law. This makes the roads in Taiwan very dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.

I won't go into all the traffic violations in Taiwan that both aggravate and terrify me because there isn't enough time in the day or space on this web page, and it would be an exercise in futility (pointless). Driving habits in Taiwan are not likely going to change in my lifetime, so I just need to learn how to survive them.  I do want to urge all my friends to be very, very careful out there on the roads. It's so important for you to not just drive safely yourself, but be very aware of the other drivers around you. You may not break the law, but you can bet someone around you will.

Just to make the point very clear, I want to share a video from YouTube of what happens when someone doesn't stop for a red light. What happens in the video is very disturbing, so if you are easily affected by violence, or seeing someone get hurt, don't watch it. After seeing this, however, it might make sure you will never forget how important it is to drive safely and cautiously.

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE