I got hit by a car.

[slabo]

Sorry to hear about your mishap pete, and glad you got out in one piece. Also, thankyou for posting this so we can learn from what happened to you.

About the accident last week, I was in the left most lane because I wanted to make a left at the intersection, ~500m from where I hit the girl. Riding in the middle of the lane, I had no chance, I really didn't see her, never had a chance to break or swerve. So riding with the cars is not totally safe, but still, I also find it safer to be in the middle of the road especially if I'm expecting to make a left later. I split lanes all the times, but I'm always checking over my shoulder. Actually only the left mirror is hanging on the bars now, but it's also useless. I'm used to looking behind me from the days of riding the bike, so checking over my shoulder is not a new thing. I even check when I'm not lane splitting, just to be aware of my surroundings. So break your mirrors, maybe it's good for you.

I used to ride in the bike lane sometimes but I was kicked out three times and the police officers said I was NOT allowed on the bike lane, only allowed share the road with other cars. This is in Kunming however, don't know about Shandong. But riding anything bigger than a scooter in the bike lane is a bad idea really. Cyclists here have a hard time keeping a straight line.
Don't let this stop you, everyone crashes, that's why we have helmets and proper gear on, so we can fix the bike and get back to riding.

[td_ref]

That video replay just show how "brave" and ignorant people were at intersections. Even in Shenzhen, there is no shortage of insane bikers crossing G roads.
My road safety tip:
Make room for likely incident, make no chance for idiots to hit you.
Ride safe!

[moilami]

It is good to remember that drivers in traffic can watch you instead of traffic lights. So if you are in the far right lane and jump to turn to left it can mean to other drivers that traffic lights changed to "green go".

Now I understood that there were separate lights for turn left and proceed straight forward. If turn left were green and proceed forward were red then there would had been some fault in the car crashing on you. However you would had still been guilty for turning to left from far right lane. I don't know whose fault it would had been in Finland. That is actually very interesting to say whose fault it was.

The accident would had never happened if you did not do it wrong or if the car did not do it wrong. So it looks like 50/50 fault like they do in China. But since the car could had avoided the accident if he followed the traffic rules I could give more fault to the car. However if you never broke the rules the car which broke rules would had not crashed on you. But you both broke rules and the car crashed on you so I think I understand the philosophy behind car being guilty. He as a bigger vehicle should had watched better to not crash on small vehicle.

That is fine rule to blame bigger vehicles since they can easily be more fatal and ignorant. So they need more responsibility and hence must take more blame.

I say it was 25% you and 75% car.

TIC TIC.

(And I think it would be best to travel by big buss while wearing motorcycle helmet in China.)

[euphonius]

Wise words from TD.

In that ghastly video, many of the vehicles that get hit do so while committing egregious errors -- riding on the wrong side of the road or in the wrong direction, cutting between vehicles, or just failing to read the (chaotic) conditions of that miserable junction.

The message I take away is a strong reminder that the only norms in China are cornercutting and shortcutting and jaywalking and impatience and ignorance. Never expect 100% rational behavior when there's even the slightest opportunity for irrationality. Read the traffic around you, keep a big margin of safety, and assume the worst.

TIC

[andre555]

..., keep a big margin of safety, and assume the worst.

Second that!!! Most important rule, not only in China but everywhere. Here are just more opportunities to apply.

When I was 18 and made my driving license my teacher told us and made it mandatory to assume:
"That everybody on the road is stupid and always be ready for that. The car in front of you/the car heading in your direction/the pedestrian right hand side/the bicylist behind you/... is an idiot."

This rule applys everywhere and even more so in China.

[td_ref]

euphonius, I think when someone can bully a local rider/driver, he/she is on the right track for coping the bad traffic condition. In my experience, when you have full gear and full face helmet and ride in a mature Chinese style (I'll come back to that afterward), other riders/drivers can sense that and respect in return.
I could be a bully jerk on road, only I was push to limit. You can just do that, can't you euphonius

[soberpete]

I was in Vietnam last week. Lots, lots of bikes and everybody had a helmet!

I too visited VN, during the spring festival of last year, and was impressed by the cleanliness of their bikes and their ability to ride in tightly packed masses while staying in formation without any sign of collisions. I only saw a few people without helmets over my two weeks there, in Ho Chi Minh/ Saigon. Lovely weather in the winter .

That video was released by the police of Heze, Shandong - seems thats the way the try to waken up the people.

Slowly but surely I believe this hole traffic law enforcement is a secret trick by the government to replace the one child policy and still keep population growth in control

I wouldn't be surprised if you were right Andre. Up until now I've taken extra care to slow right down and check all directions when entering a junction and especially when I'm running red lights. From now on I'm gonna take extra EXTRA care when pulling away from junctions too . Best I just avoid the bike lane all together. Using that lane has caused me both of my collisions with cars. I lost 400rmb on my first bump and got 500rmb back on my second! Is that the work of karma?

I watched that that video over a few times and thought of a few things that you may agree with. I may seem arrogant when I type the following but I say it mostly with good intentions:
1: A number of the accidents featured in that clip (and things I see on the road everyday here in Zibo) could have been avoided had one of the two bicycle/e-bike/motorbike riders simply turned their heads to look and check for oncoming traffic of the lane into which they were entering. They just turned into a road, looking straight ahead, not checking behind them, to the side or anything... just like the mistake that I made last night ...at least it wasn't me running the red light. I make mistakes but I endeavor to learn from them.
2: If you're prepared to go out at night on a bike of any kind that has no lights and you're wearing all dark clothes then you'd do well to take care. Over the past few years of riding a scooter and motorbike here in Zibo I've almost hit two or three bicycles (fitting the descriptions above) who tried to cut me up on a dark road. I don't hold it against them, I know I'm in their country and I've no right to tell them what to do but it wouldn't do them any harm to include some common sense in their daily/nightly commuting.

[barnone]

After watching that video I know for damn sure I not going to ride or drive in China. I wonder over what period of all those crashes occurred.
And I though we had bad drivers in the US.

[Gardo]

Dude glad you are safe, that video though is insane. When I was in Shenzhen I saw the traffic and said Nope never I'll just pay a driver the couple of days I'm in town LoL

[soberpete]

I used to ride in the bike lane sometimes but I was kicked out three times and the police officers said I was NOT allowed on the bike lane, only allowed share the road with other cars. This is in Kunming however, don't know about Shandong. But riding anything bigger than a scooter in the bike lane is a bad idea really. Cyclists here have a hard time keeping a straight line.
Don't let this stop you, everyone crashes, that's why we have helmets and proper gear on, so we can fix the bike and get back to riding.

I've never taken my bike too far from Zibo and I've found that the traffic volunteer/police guys at intersections used to wave me out of the road and into the bike lane (I think it may well be a province or, even more likely, a city thing) but I just ignored them and they eventually learned to ignore me. I only ever use the bike lane (very slowly) when the road is jam packed and I'm unable to lane split. I will still do this in future but NOT if I'm trying to make a left at an intersection.