Japanese traffic signals and other driving fun

[chibaka]

Can't believe what I just saw, woman with a baby strapped to her back, got into her car and drove off. Baby still strapped on, stuck between woman and her seat. If something hits her from behind, kid will be dead. Unbelievable

[Yokohammer]

Can't believe what I just saw, woman with a baby strapped to her back, got into her car and drove off. Baby still strapped on, stuck between woman and her seat. If something hits her from behind, kid will be dead. Unbelievable

That would be very illegal too.
Kidlets must be strapped into an approved child seat.

[matsuki]

Probably why she left the kiddo on her back...forgot the child seat?

[Yokohammer]

Probably why she left the kiddo on her back...forgot the child seat?

Forgot that the kid was strapped to her back.

[Mike Oxlong]

But since my driving strategery include never having to swerve as primary evading method, treating every intersection as an ambush and always having 1.5-2 cars safety distance there's a lot of stuff less likely to happen/surprise me. Plus there's this weird statistical anomaly where anytime i start to relax too much a cat cross in front of me... Kinda keep me nervous all the time.

That's not your strategy that's bog standard defensive driving. Too few people employ it however.

Right...I guess my point is if I was driving like the average person does here, tail gating, flying down narrow streets, signaling after I've already braked to make a ridiculously wide turn, I would have been involved in countless accidents and deaths. That being said, being a careful driver, will prevent many incidents but it can't stop other people from being assholes and giving you these situations.

Any theories as to why the crazies aren't involved in "countless accidents"?

[kurogane]

I'm not so sure that it is broken.

I am quite sure it is now, but since you have always been the one that knows better even when it's obvious you don't, I'll leave it until you work that last bit of piss out. Choooooo, and BFF, btw.

Matsuki,
That was you I was chanelling, you pissy turd. BTW, Wage Slave was right. It's not them. They drive like they do, and you're offically a minority. Heartful Pizza Mind, rabo rabu/

[chibaka]

Probably why she left the kiddo on her back...forgot the child seat?

Forgot that the kid was strapped to her back.

Think it was strapped to her back when she got out at the conbini, I just didn't notice. Not the kind of thing you would forget.....

[kurogane]

Strapped up properly all you really need to do is let the seat back a few..........

Besides, who would run into a woman papoosing a child, you monotheistic heathens!!!!??????????????????


PS Love this mechanised peasants vibe. Where's Yellowface when we need him?

[Coligny]

Any recommendations for drive cameras then? Seeing as there are a lot of driving concerns.... and I've got a partly fucked up car outside I think it's necessary. I'm leaning towards a rear view mirror fitted unit for the front, and a cheap small unit for the rear. Preferably easily removed to use on other cars if necessary. What say you FG's ...

No. Not a removable one. She won't be there when you need it.

[Coligny]

But since my driving strategery include never having to swerve as primary evading method, treating every intersection as an ambush and always having 1.5-2 cars safety distance there's a lot of stuff less likely to happen/surprise me. Plus there's this weird statistical anomaly where anytime i start to relax too much a cat cross in front of me... Kinda keep me nervous all the time.

That's not your strategy that's bog standard defensive driving. Too few people employ it however.

Right...I guess my point is if I was driving like the average person does here, tail gating, flying down narrow streets, signaling after I've already braked to make a ridiculously wide turn, I would have been involved in countless accidents and deaths. That being said, being a careful driver, will prevent many incidents but it can't stop other people from being assholes and giving you these situations.

Any theories as to why the crazies aren't involved in "countless accidents"?

I blame Schrodinger

[inflames]

Is there a site where drivers who do this shit can be named and shamed daily, Can't count on the police but I assume the transport/taxi companies would start to regulate their driver quality better if there brand image was being tarnished.

instantdomainsearch.com is your friend - sites like meiwakuunten.com are available and pretty much anybody can have a website ready to go with wordpress in 10 minutes.

Publicly shaming people online with photos in Japan could get you into legal trouble.

Don't use a Japanese place to buy your domain, activate whois privacy protection and have your hosting overseas and you'll be okay. Some old dude could probably call a Japanese host (for websites) and they would give away your contact info without issues.

[matsuki]

Any theories as to why the crazies aren't involved in "countless accidents"?

I dunno about "countless accidents" but I've seen my share of "How fucking dumb are you?" and "GTFOMW" accidents here. Love it when a "yankii" dude is the victim cause they always get out of their car and start rolling the R's at the idiot who hit them.

They drive like they do, and you're offically a minority. Heartful Pizza Mind, rabo rabu/

Oh, no doubt...but it's not always drivers. Like my experience yesterday, it's often clueless bicyclists or people walking down the middle of the road with their eyes fixed on their keitais. I'm always cautious but it's never fun to deal with idiots like that. I soooo need to install a PA system on my howhip...is that legal here? Nothing like public shaming them for a few moments.

[chibaka]

Oh, no doubt...but it's not always drivers. Like my experience yesterday, it's often clueless bicyclists or people walking down the middle of the road with their eyes fixed on their keitais.

That's what I find here in the outback, although the city has to share responsibility too. It seems to me that there has been little or no serious road planning here since the days of horse and cart. There are NO cycle lanes, and footpaths for pedestrians are rare. As for people, I've seen it all. Cyclists on unlit roads at night, no rear light and wearing dark clothes. Cyclists and pedestrians walking on main roads which are narrow, winding, with visibility obscured by shrubbery.
On one occasion my door mirror made contact with the handle bars of a guys bicycle. He was riding into traffic on a road I just described, as I went around a left hand bend, there he was. He didn't fall off, but stopped, probably to empty his underpants.

[kurogane]

There weren't very many roads even when it was still horse and cart. Those came with the car. They were footpaths.

MAJOR HISTORY GEEK POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, btw: yes. Very much yes to all that. Dumbwalking is one thing, but the level of suicidal cycling must drive bicycle people like the Dutch utterly insane. I think my personal favourite is the purposeful removal of all reflective materials, and if really Yanqui, the spray painting of all chrome to a dull colour. Rendering the bike effectively invisible.

I still sort of get it when Jpn older than me talk sincerely about the need to get people off their bicycles and into cars or public transport, and I am a religious bicyclist in Japan.

[Mock Cockpit]

Oh, no doubt...but it's not always drivers. Like my experience yesterday, it's often clueless bicyclists or people walking down the middle of the road with their eyes fixed on their keitais.

That's what I find here in the outback, although the city has to share responsibility too. It seems to me that there has been little or no serious road planning here since the days of horse and cart. There are NO cycle lanes, and footpaths for pedestrians are rare. As for people, I've seen it all. Cyclists on unlit roads at night, no rear light and wearing dark clothes. Cyclists and pedestrians walking on main roads which are narrow, winding, with visibility obscured by shrubbery.
On one occasion my door mirror made contact with the handle bars of a guys bicycle. He was riding into traffic on a road I just described, as I went around a left hand bend, there he was. He didn't fall off, but stopped, probably to empty his underpants.

Sounds like you need to slow down a bit there Fangio (not that I'm one to talk)

[chibaka]

Sounds like you need to slow down a bit there Fangio (not that I'm one to talk)

Actually I think he was probably cycling faster than I was driving. Lycra wearing racing bike rider, marginally safer than obaa chan.

[wagyl]

If he was wearing lycra, he wasn't wearing underpants.

I'll just leave that there.

[Yokohammer]

Those lycra-encased weekend pedal pushers are a real menace up here. They seem to think they own the road, and when in groups of two or more enjoy pedalling along side-by-side, blocking the road when there's clearly traffic behind. It's a wonder there aren't piles of lycra roadkill all over the place. A testament to the patience (and desire to stay out of jail) of drivers in this area.

[kurogane]

If he was wearing lycra, he wasn't wearing underpants.

I'll just leave that there.

New to Japan post.

[matsuki]

Add another to the list....

I was pulling out of a gas station on Friday night, making a left....there was a car coming towards me but he flipped on his signal and was pulling into the same gas station, at an entrance about 20 meters before the one I was pulling out from.

As I pull onto the road and the car slows to pull in, a toyota Hiace comes flying around it (into the opposing traffic lane) in a wild attempt to make it around the car before getting hit head on by a kei truck. What he didn't expect was my big, white, soccermom-mobile to be there once he came around the other side. He swerved, braked, and skidded into the curb behind me.

I really need to install a proper rear-facing driving recorder....

[Yokohammer]

Add another to the list....

I was pulling out of a gas station on Friday night, making a left....there was a car coming towards me but he flipped on his signal and was pulling into the same gas station, at an entrance about 20 meters before the one I was pulling out from.

As I pull onto the road and the car slows to pull in, a toyota Hiace comes flying around it (into the opposing traffic lane) in a wild attempt to make it around the car before getting hit head on by a kei truck. What he didn't expect was my big, white, soccermom-mobile to be there once he came around the other side. He swerved, braked, and skidded into the curb behind me.

I really need to install a proper rear-facing driving recorder....

Although the Hiace driver was clearly driving stupid-dangerous like, you couldn't see him approaching too fast behind the driver pulling into the gas station? A Hiace is a pretty big car.


~ Tapatalking ~

[chibaka]

Minor update, Obaa chan initially told my wife on the phone she didn't want to communicate, only through insurance companies. Anyway, I launched my opening salvo, she called my number 6 times yesterday...... No need for details, but she is constantly apologizing, saying it's her fault, then agreeing to 90% ~ 10%. What the actual fuck does that mean?

[wagyl]

It means that she is out of control, doesn't know what she is doing, and that her Insurance Company will be annoyed with her if they knew. Communicate only through Insurance Companies, and tell her this each time, and tell her only this.

[matsuki]

Add another to the list....

I was pulling out of a gas station on Friday night, making a left....there was a car coming towards me but he flipped on his signal and was pulling into the same gas station, at an entrance about 20 meters before the one I was pulling out from.

As I pull onto the road and the car slows to pull in, a toyota Hiace comes flying around it (into the opposing traffic lane) in a wild attempt to make it around the car before getting hit head on by a kei truck. What he didn't expect was my big, white, soccermom-mobile to be there once he came around the other side. He swerved, braked, and skidded into the curb behind me.

I really need to install a proper rear-facing driving recorder....

Although the Hiace driver was clearly driving stupid-dangerous like, you couldn't see him approaching too fast behind the driver pulling into the gas station? A Hiace is a pretty big car.

Believe me...having a Hiace come at me like...I won't forget how big it is.

Didn't notice it at all until it came flying around the car, right at me. I did hear the engine rev right before I saw it though...so my guess is he wasn't right behind the guy or if he was, he had already slowed. Too important to wait behind the car pulling in so the impatient asshole just gunned it around him without considering how dangerous such a blind maneuver is....especially when you're playing chicken with opposing traffic.

Minor update, Obaa chan initially told my wife on the phone she didn't want to communicate, only through insurance companies. Anyway, I launched my opening salvo, she called my number 6 times yesterday...... No need for details, but she is constantly apologizing, saying it's her fault, then agreeing to 90% ~ 10%. What the actual fuck does that mean?

Did she leave a voicemail admitting fault? Record that shit and play it back/send the mp3 to your insurance agent. Sounds like she knows she's fucked and is trying to worm her way down to 90%...

[chibaka]

Did she leave a voicemail admitting fault? Record that shit and play it back/send the mp3 to your insurance agent. Sounds like she knows she's fucked and is trying to worm her way down to 90%...

My chief negotiator is helping, I'm not proficient enough to fight on the phone, and he relays it to me. Everyone knows she's fucked, but this is Japan. As I mentioned before I had the audacity to actually move my fucking car, therefore in the eyes of the Japanese overlords, I share the blame. Not sure this time if being white is an issue, just being there is enough. To be continued.......

[matsuki]

Did she leave a voicemail admitting fault? Record that shit and play it back/send the mp3 to your insurance agent. Sounds like she knows she's fucked and is trying to worm her way down to 90%...

My chief negotiator is helping, I'm not proficient enough to fight on the phone, and he relays it to me. Everyone knows she's fucked, but this is Japan. As I mentioned before I had the audacity to actually move my fucking car, therefore in the eyes of the Japanese overlords, I share the blame. Not sure this time if being white is an issue, just being there is enough. To be continued.......

hahaha, in that case, I agree with Wags...don't talk to her. (and don't give in one percent)


Another to add from last night...I've mentioned it before but to get to my home, I have to drive around the roundabout in front of the station. There is a street that intersects it and has a stop sign for those entering the roundabout...there are no stop signs if your already on the round about but many times I've almost T-boned idiots who have wrongly assumed vehicles on the roundabout also have a stop sign. Last night I was behind a mini-bus, on the roundabout, and it made a left at that intersection while I was going straight on the round about....and there just happened to be a dude on a bike at the stop sign that either made a totally blind turn into me or assumed I would stop. I never saw the guy until I was a cm from running his ass over...he was screaming and waving his arms at me like I was in the wrong.

I am soooo buying a fucking train horn or PA system....

[chibaka]

Just put an eleventy billion gigabyte sd card in each of your 15 drive recorders, may just about cover your ass

[wagyl]

Reading between the lines Chibaka you have chosen not to do this through your insurance company but to handle this yourself with advice from a mate. That -- the decision not to involve your own insurance in a claim -- is a legitimate choice to make, to avoid future changes to insurance premiums and especially so if the damage is unlikely to exceed the excess on your policy, but I hope you know what you are doing. Your past (and I think ongoing) dealings with insurance here will give you some clues as to how things work. Your outrage at "If I was mobile I am being held minimally liable" suggests that some of the clues might only have sunk in 90% (see what I did there?)

If my understanding is incorrect and you have notified your own insurance about this, for Christ's sake, leave it to them.


Oh, another clue. It is not only about principles. It is, ultimately, only about money. You don't need to agree proportion of blame at this stage, even though they would like you to do so. Sometimes, the actual Yen value of that 10/90 compromise is not worth the hair you pull out getting to it.

[Yokohammer]

Another to add from last night...I've mentioned it before but to get to my home, I have to drive around the roundabout in front of the station. There is a street that intersects it and has a stop sign for those entering the roundabout...there are no stop signs if your already on the round about but many times I've almost T-boned idiots who have wrongly assumed vehicles on the roundabout also have a stop sign. Last night I was behind a mini-bus, on the roundabout, and it made a left at that intersection while I was going straight on the round about....and there just happened to be a dude on a bike at the stop sign that either made a totally blind turn into me or assumed I would stop. I never saw the guy until I was a cm from running his ass over...he was screaming and waving his arms at me like I was in the wrong.

I am soooo buying a fucking train horn or PA system....

Matsuki, I'm trying really hard not to sound patronizing here, but these "I didn't see him/her/it until I almost hit him/her/it" or vice versa episodes seem to be occurring with above-average frequency in your daily routine. Do you need to slow down? Pay closer attention? Get your eyes checked? Something needs work, I'm almost sure of it.

[wagyl]

He might be bigging up the drama of these incidents too.