NeilM":1s426qgx said:Neil":1s426qgx said:I spent some time in China last year. People on the road rush about like you wouldn't believe. "Gotta keep moving" is a kind of mantra out there. Drivers cut each other up, and try any and all means to get ahead and get an advantage. Bipping the horn occurs frequently. I didn't once see any anger, though - no rage, no shouting, no punishing maneouvres. Sure, there was a clearly perceivable do-it-to-them-before-they-do-it-to-you mentality about a lot of the driving, but they just didn't seem to take it personally.
And I'm talking huge big cities, with heavy traffic, and lots of people trying to go places fast - but all the same, people cut each other up, bipped the horn, sometimes with impatience or get out of my way, but no anger or rage that I ever saw. I'm pretty sure they weren't just on their best behaviour and putting on a show for the gwei-lo.
That is the difference, no anger.
I, like every other road user, suffer from people racing me, cutting across, brake testing etc, I also make mistakes, even on a bike from time to time, after all, I am a human to to err IS human. I am embarrassed when I mess up and get cross when someone does something stupid, but I never lose my temper because in the bigger scheme of things it is all pretty unimportant.
Maybe they're all seething inside, but don't let it bubble to the surface - or maybe they just don't let it get to them. I've discussed this with family over there, and the consensus seems to be practicality / pragmatism. They tend to be wanting to get somewhere, losing their cool maybe is perceived as not actually helping them - it's all "gotta keep moving" over there.
Yes, I accept, culture differences - but all the same, it does make the whole "Drivers in the UK are under tremendous pressure, in terms of costs, penalties, and time, that rage is a natural result" type argument seem a bit of an excuse. Whether as a nation or culture, some are very much more non-confrontational - but then, some of the explanations of behaviour by drivers, at least in the UK, being that they behave a certain way whilst behind the wheel of a car - perhaps somewhat empowered by the situation - in a way they wouldn't in real, face-to-face encounters.