June Road Mishaps
I rarely see a bad accident in Hong Kong. Generally they can be found in the Hong Kong-Chinese media, in modestly graphic detail. After driving in Hong Kong for ten years, I usually only see fender benders and… hardly any. The month of June has been the exception: I have encountered a variety of mishaps in just a few weeks. Odd.
First, one happened while I was driving to work. I came off the ramp to encounter backed up traffic, am indication something has happened since traffic on this ramp typically moves smoothly. By the bottom of the ramp I saw a car on fire with the firefighters hosing down and the car kicking up a tremendous amount of smoke and steam. The pour driver stood and watched with downtrodden shoulders.
Second, one afternoon on my way back to the office. An accident happened immediately in front of me. A lady changed lanes without properly checking if the lane was clear. A bus promptly ploughed into the side of her car. I stopped to offer myself as a witness. The two drivers hopped out of their vehicles and the bus driver wanted the woman to move her car. She refused, with a mild argument developing. I think the woman was pretty certain the bus driver was at fault and had a smug little look on her face. Very typical for Hong Kong drivers not to move their cars despite the smallest of damage to their cars.
With the lanes mostly blocked – it was possible to get around the woman’s car by half driving on the sidewalk – the traffic backed up something fierce. There was also a bus behind me, so they were all in a bit of a logjam. By the time the police arrived twenty minutes later, there was probably a kilometre of traffic up the road. Of course, being Hong Kong, many drivers leaned on their horns over and over and over, providing symphony of noise.
A policeman arrived, took one look at the accident, and the woman’s face went from smug to sour. As far as he was concerned she was at fault. She was not happy. I gave my details then left for them to sort it out.
Finally a few days later, also on my way to work, there was a slowdown as everyone gazed at this poor scooter driver with a flat tire. Wow, poor guy. What bad luck to get a flat tire then for whatever reason have his stuff strewn all over the highway. Regardless, there he was stoically piecing things back together while other traffic dangerously rushed by. No honking from the other drivers, just amazed gazes. Note the bamboo scaffolding to the right of the scooter, with green overtop for safety reasons.
