I read an article that said there are over 10 million scooters in Taiwan, giving it the world's largest per-capita ownership level. When I first got here it was very hard to get used to driving a car down the streets of Taipei. It always amazed me how fearless scooter drivers act. If you fall behind the car in front of you a scooter will cut in front of you. Once one scooter gets passed you several others will follow until you are stuck in the middle of an intersection wondering if the line of scooters will ever end. It is so strange to watch scooters pile up like a swarm of bees as they wait for the light to turn green.
When I walk the streets of Taipei I am always listen for the sound of a scooter motor to make sure that a scooter is not sneaking up behind me. The way they drive on the sidewalk, right threw local night markets and down tiny neighborhood alleys has let me to believe that scooter drivers are fearless. Once you give a scooter to a Taiwanese person they lose all sense of fear. Once they are introduced to a machine that gives them the freedom to travel anywhere at a fast pace they forget all about all the danger that go along with driving a scooter. They do not fear getting into an accident, running over pedestrians, or dropping their precious cargo. Do you think that scooter drivers are fearless? If so why are they so reckless? what can be done to get scooter drivers to think about safer ways to drive?
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