Day 296: Fatal Statistics

I would never ever want to drive a car in Seoul. Ever.

Traffic in Seoul is a nightmare of the grandest and most horrific kind. I've talked about it a million times in this blog and it's something that I'll never ever get used to. It plagues every megacity of the world (and even the smaller more peaceful ones like Vancouver) but it just seems to be especially excrutiating here in Korea. Maybe that's just cause I live here and see it all the time.

On top of the sheer volume, the Koreans are just terrible drivers. Now I know that sounds horribly discriminatory and prejudiced and Western-skewed, but honestly, it really is true. And the stats are there to back it up. I don't remember exactly where I read this, but apparently Korea is in the top three in the *world* for traffic fatalities. It may even be Number One. The people here drive insanely, as if they're the only ones on the road. Speed limits are suggestions, everyone's in a mad rush, people cut you off and will accelerate so as to not let you into a lane, will merge without checking for a safe opening spot first...it's ridiculous. And they're all so AGGRESSIVE and ANGRY behind the wheel. It's like this horrible self-perpetuating cycle of angry dangerous drivers breeding and encouraging other drivers to be more angry and more dangerous. Just to give you an indication of the Korean society's view on driving, all vehicles made here come here with the OPTION of a turning signal. Yep, they're not even mandatory!

Now I've never driven here myself (and never ever will, unless I'm feeling suicidal that day) but have been in the car quite a lot thanks to Michael's car. Michael is the most easy-going and passive guy you'll ever meet, but he turns into a raging screaming swearing bitch as soon as he gets behind the wheel here. It's about one part amusing, and two parts frightening.

There's this one bridge that we drive over sometimes on the way to the south side of the Han River, and every time I see it it's a morbid and sobering reminder of what traffic and drivers are like here. It's a giant digital screen over the road just before the bridge that has two sets of numbers. The first number is a live up-to-the-minute tally on the total number of accidents that has occurred in the city that day. I've seen it range anywhere from one to three digits.

And just below that stat is another number - the total number of deaths in the city that morning caused by traffic accidents.

It sends a chill down my spill every time I see that. That's somebody's son or daughter or mother or father that has been lost in a tragic way, and now they're a haunting statistic on a digital screen above a roadway. And I've never ever seen it at zero! This sign is supposed to be some sort of dark psychology to get people to slow down and become better drivers. I don't know what kind of effect it has on the Koreans, but it sure affects me every time I see it.