Japanese traffic signals and other driving fun

[kurogane]

If I remember you might have to go slightly further afield, but if you're ever in Kamioka, they have these beauties for sale
http://www.kamioka-gun-shop.jp/san_spo1.html

I prefer the over-under to the side on ones. It gives it a slightly more aristocratic feel, which can be important when shooting down traffic violators.

...light went green, as soon as I crossed the intersection this jiji about 10 meters ahead busts this slow motion U-turn from the opposite side of the street right into traffic..

Well, to be fair to him, you were driving on the same road at the very moment he realised he had forgotten his gateball mallet.

Even the charity class white people here are starting to accept talk about Walking While Asian, especially at Chinese heavy Costcos and such. I cannot but have a soft spot for that Asian in Public thing, but it doesn't contribute to Happy Time Safety Driving, to be sure.

[Coligny]

No picatiny accessory rail... Lame...

And for the below 300 000 ones... Are we supposed to trust weapons that are barely over airsoft price ?

[Takechanpoo]

you gaijin dudes expect to j-society alot too much as always.
they are trained by a strict test to get a license, narrow and irregular roads here and there.
the average driving skill of japanese nationals is best in the world, i think.

[Wage Slave]

you gaijin dudes expect to j-society alot too much as always.
they are trained by a strict test to get a license, narrow and irregular roads here and there.
the average driving skill of japanese is best in the world, i think.

Well it's not the worst in the world but to say it's the best is a stretch. I'm not at all sure how you measure it in any case. I'm listening if you have any evidence but I doubt it. You may be surprised but many other countries have small and unpredictable old roads. Drivers everywhere have to deal with that and usually at much higher speeds than here.

What do you base your judgement on? I've driven in Australia, The UK, The US, Saudi, Thailand, Bali, Germany, France, Pakistan, Spain and Malta. I'd say skills wise Japan is somewhere about two thirds of the way to the best. Courtesy wise it is a bit higher.

Monday to Friday I find that around here the driving is generally good to very good with the occasional very pushy and childish driver spoiling it. However, traffic light discipline is often very poor which is scary dangerous and no fucker seems to a) have a hands free system for his mobile and b) see any reason he shouldn't use his mobile anyway. Come Saturday and Sunday all the desk jockeys are out on the road and it is commonly comically unskillful, petty and downright dangerous at times.

The other glaring weakness, as mentioned before, is the number of very old people still driving.

[Coligny]

you gaijin dudes expect to j-society alot too much as always.
they are trained by a strict test to get a license, narrow and irregular roads here and there.
the average driving skill of japanese nationals is best in the world, i think.

Holy fucking shit, you are usually a moron but here you are reaching new level of stupidity, we have to call Stephen Hawking to observe a self sustained black hole of human intelligence.

The local chimps all go to private driving schools were it's pay and go. The foreigners usually take the police practical test and it's hell on earth. But doctor zaius and consor joyride their way to the license. The local driving school have student with karimen plates that make mistake and violations that should have them failed pre-karimen.

Let me guess monkey boy... You don't have a driver license ?

[Samurai_Jerk]

you gaijin dudes expect to j-society alot too much as always.
they are trained by a strict test to get a license, narrow and irregular roads here and there.
the average driving skill of japanese nationals is best in the world, i think.

Holy fucking shit, you are usually a moron but here you are reaching new level of stupidity, we have to call Stephen Hawking to observe a self sustained black hole of human intelligence.

The local chimps all go to private driving schools were it's pay and go. The foreigners usually take the police practical test and it's hell on earth. But doctor zaius and consor joyride their way to the license. The local driving school have student with karimen plates that make mistake and violations that should have them failed pre-karimen.

Let me guess monkey boy... You don't have a driver license ?

When I converted to a Japanese license the driving test wasn't that hard. They're anal but as long as you know what they're looking for, it's easy to pass. The written test was laughably easy. I hear the written and driving test are harder if you don't have a license and are starting from zero though.

Saying Japanese drivers are the best in the world is pretty ridiculous though. Like WS I'm not really sure how you'd even measure that.

[Mike Oxlong]

What gets me is the lack of any appreciable improvement in driving skills from new license at age 18 to age 23, 28, 33, and older. Really shocking considering nearly everyone of age drives on Okinawa. I have friends in their 50s that drive no better and with no more awareness than the new leaf teens.

[Takechanpoo]

i said "average", didnt i?
the stereotype that mongoloid people cant drive properly was made by damn chinese the wild animals, i think.

Mortality-rates-deaths-from-road-traffic-accidents.png

[Wage Slave]

And if we are arguing skills:

Many Japanese drivers only drive fairly new, very small, light, low powered cars with automatic transmission and power steering at low speeds in a highly organised and regulated environment. Try driving a ratty old jeep somewhere like Bangkok and then tell me which requires more skill.

[Wage Slave]

i said "average", didnt i?
the stereotype that mongoloid people cant drive properly was made by damn chinese the wild animals, i think.

Mortality-rates-deaths-from-road-traffic-accidents.png

I don't agree that road traffic accident mortality rates per 1,000 people are a reasonable proxy for driving skills. There are far too many other factors including the fact that very many Japanese people rely on public transport, especially trains. That will obviously keep the rate down.

It is though good and well known argument for public transport - especially trains.

[Coligny]

I can shit you a graph correlating having a small dick with traffic fatalities with japan coming on top won't change jack shit to the local clusterfuck.

Monday to friday: average jap "me first, second and third"
Saturday and sunday: "me first, second and third, also, where am I ?"
At night road and traffic laws are suspended.

In Saigon traffic is a mess but it's not like in japan where every chimp think he deserve the same respect as the emperor. Vietnamese slalom from A to B with everything flowing smoothly despite the chaos.
In the big T every Tanaka in his Totoya Shittia seems offended to have to share the road with someone else...

[Samurai_Jerk]

i said "average", didnt i?
the stereotype that mongoloid people cant drive properly was made by damn chinese the wild animals, i think.

Mortality-rates-deaths-from-road-traffic-accidents.png

I don't agree that road traffic accident mortality rates per 1,000 people are a reasonable proxy for driving skills. There are far too many other factors including the fact that very many Japanese people rely on public transport, especially trains. That will obviously keep the rate down.

It is though good and well known argument for public transport - especially trains.

It really doesn't tell us anything about how good the drivers are. Accidents/mortality rates relative to kilometers driven is a better gauge. However even that's not perfect because there are so many other factors like quality of infrastructure that can lead to more accidents that don't necessarily have anything to do with driving skill. If we're talking raw skill, people in counties where there are no road rules, everyone drives like a maniac, and the roads are a mess are probably better than a lot of us from wealthier more organized nations. Who would you rather have driving your getaway car?

[kurogane]

You may be surprised but many other countries have small and unpredictable old roads. Drivers everywhere have to deal with that and usually at much higher speeds than here.

I see no reason to get nasty.

Take,
Did you know that many Japanese also claim that Japanese rice is the best rice in the world, based on their having only ever eaten Japanese rice? There's a term for that, but The Best is not it.

[matsuki]

However, traffic light discipline is often very poor which is scary dangerous

You mean all the assholes who jump the lights...and run reds...it's like they want to be roadkill. Who needs tickets when you simply get crushed to death?

While I realize most drivers are pretty courteous, the amount of tailgating here is insane. From the highways to the 30km/h roads, I never get over how often I see some asshole behind me getting so close his headlights disappear. (and as much as I'd love to suddenly hard brake and teach em a lesson, it's usually more fun and safe to gradually slow down until they get irrate and try to whip around you) Bonus points if they hit something while trying to swerve back in front of you.

[Wage Slave]

Here you go Tacky - not perfect as SJ notes above but far better than your figures:

Road fatalities per 1 billion vehicle/kilometres. Data not available for all countries but there's enough. Japan isn't too bad. Better than Korea and Malaysia. Just.

Norway 3.3
Denmark 3.4
Sweden 3.8
Iceland 3.9
United Kingdom 4.3
Finland 4.7
Germany 4.9
Malta 4.9
Netherlands 4.9
Switzerland 4.9
Israel 5.2
Australia 5.6
Canada 6.1
France 6.3
Austria 6.9
Slovenia 7.6
Spain 7.6
United States 7.6
Belgium 7.7
Japan 8.3
New Zealand 8.3
Malaysia 13.8
Czech Republic 15.7
Cyprus 16.7
Estonia 17.5
Bulgaria 19.1
South Korea 20
Brazil 55.9
United Arab Emirates 334

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

[matsuki]

China 133.3

[Wage Slave]

However, traffic light discipline is often very poor which is scary dangerous

You mean all the assholes who jump the lights...and run reds...it's like they want to be roadkill.
[/url]

Yes, exactly. It's rampant and deadly.

While I realize most drivers are pretty courteous, the amount of tailgating here is insane.

I wonder if that's a Kanto thing? It is a problem and not good but I wouldn't say it is that bad in my ruralish bit of Kansai.

[Wage Slave]

China 133.3

That's per 100,00 vehicles. No data available per billion vehicle kilometres but I suspect it's not very good. And Chinese statistics are always highly suspect.

[matsuki]

However, traffic light discipline is often very poor which is scary dangerous

You mean all the assholes who jump the lights...and run reds...it's like they want to be roadkill.
[/url]

Yes, exactly. It's rampant and deadly.

While I realize most drivers are pretty courteous, the amount of tailgating here is insane.

I wonder if that's a Kanto thing? It is a problem and not good but I wouldn't say it is that bad in my ruralish bit of Kansai.

I see the same shit in Niigata on the highways but it's noticeably worse on the surface streets in Tokyo.

[Salty]

If I remember you might have to go slightly further afield, but if you're ever in Kamioka, they have these beauties for sale
http://www.kamioka-gun-shop.jp/san_spo1.html

I prefer the over-under to the side on ones. It gives it a slightly more aristocratic feel, which can be important when shooting down traffic violators.

...light went green, as soon as I crossed the intersection this jiji about 10 meters ahead busts this slow motion U-turn from the opposite side of the street right into traffic..

Well, to be fair to him, you were driving on the same road at the very moment he realised he had forgotten his gateball mallet.

Even the charity class white people here are starting to accept talk about Walking While Asian, especially at Chinese heavy Costcos and such. I cannot but have a soft spot for that Asian in Public thing, but it doesn't contribute to Happy Time Safety Driving, to be sure.

Well, I am flabbergasted... those are all 12 gauge - so what is the point of two barrels - side by side, or over/under? If you just have one gauge, use a pump - but I do agree that a side by side looks impressively powerful. An over under of course should be 12/8, or 12/10, or even 12/410....

[Coligny]

Isn't the lower barrel for loading ammo ? Lower the trigger guard to load in the chamber ?
(Not exactly knowledgeabul for weapons that are not loadabul onto aircraft, ships or ground vehicles...)

[Takechanpoo]

do you guys not know to read implication between the lines, dont you?
j-driving license test should be regarded as "strict" compared with other industrialized countries, in some of which driver license can be gotten just by registering. and the skills such as professional racing like f1 and rally are not needed for ordinary urban dwellers, needless to say.

and according to recent date from WHO records, japan is ranked 5.
http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/caus ... y-country/
among the other countries in higher rank, the population parameter of japan is far high.
it means japan in fact is overwhelmingly ranked 1st.

[Wage Slave]

Tacky - You seem to regard yourself as a man of higher education and science and yet you persist with this ridiculous assertion. Clearly deaths per 100,000 population are not a good indicator of driving abilities. And that should be obvious. If people are driving relatively little because they use public transport heavily then of course the number of people killed will be lower. If there are few cars in a country then the number of people killed will be lower. A far better (but far from perfect) indicator is deaths per billion vehicle kilometres driven - and on that measure Japan does not do especially well. In fact it is towards the bottom of the industrialised countries.

In which industrialised countries can you get a driving licence just by registering? I don't believe you. I also don't believe that Japanese drivers are any more rigorously trained or tested than in other countries and even if they are it isn't working. They are far from the worst in the world but they are a fair bit below the best. It's another cherished myth.

[legion]

i said "average", didnt i?
the stereotype that mongoloid people cant drive properly was made by damn chinese the wild animals, i think.

The J-police have certainly been hard at work bringing down the death rate. Clamping down on drunk driving and speeding.

However your chart does not reflect miles traveled by car, or in relationship to car ownership. A lot of young Japanese opt to not own a car, they are not interested and don't need one.

White kei trucks in the countryside are a law unto themselves.

[Grumpy Gramps]

I think, the usual traffic procedures and traditions also have a great influence. In Japan, driving is dead easy, compared to e.g. Kairo. Add a typical Japanese navi that annoyingly warns you before every corner/fumikiri that there is a corner/fumikiri ahead and it becomes really difficult to be a "bad driver" by any definition.

[Wage Slave]

I think, the usual traffic procedures and traditions also have a great influence. In Japan, driving is dead easy, compared to e.g. Kairo. Add a typical Japanese navi that annoyingly warns you before every corner/fumikiri that there is a corner/fumikiri ahead and it becomes really difficult to be a "bad driver" by any definition.

Very true. Add in the fact that you are doing a stately 40 to 50 km/hr at most between traffic lights every 100m carefully arranged out of phase and its slightly hard to see how they manage to cause as many deaths as they do.

Another unknown in all this is the effect quality of the emergency services has on mortality. In the better bits of Europe, and Japan to a reasonable extent, you will be immediately scooped up and rushed to the nearest big hospital capable of helping you. That must affect survival rates. Perhaps that's one reason why the rate in the US is a bit higher than in western europe.

[Grumpy Gramps]

how they manage to cause as many deaths as they do.

De(a)dication

[Wage Slave]

how they manage to cause as many deaths as they do.

De(a)dication

Very good.

[Wage Slave]

and according to recent date from WHO records, japan is ranked 5.
http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/caus ... y-country/
among the other countries in higher rank, the population parameter of japan is far high.
it means japan in fact is overwhelmingly ranked 1st.

Actually you can't even argue your wrong assertion correctly you fool. Japan has the 5th lowest rate. The fact that Japan's population is higher than the 4 lower countries is totally irrelevant.

Or is that what you regard as "reading between the lines"?

バカはいけません

[Russell]

do you guys not know to read implication between the lines, dont you?
j-driving license test should be regarded as "strict" compared with other industrialized countries, in some of which driver license can be gotten just by registering.

Actually, I got my driver's license in Japan just by registering...