Turning left illegally, a family of four tourists from China broke the United States
I just reminded you not to despise the rules, but to cherish life. Today, I heard another sad news.
In the past Sunday afternoon, a tragic car accident happened in the West Canyon of Arizona. An SUV collided with a sightseeing bus, and four China passengers in the SUV died on the spot! At that time, a 52-year-old man was driving the vehicle. There were two 52-year-old women and a 19-year-old girl in the car, all of whom were wearing seat belts. Confirmed by the forensic doctor, the four victims were all mainland tourists, and they also brought a lot of cash that day, especially to visit the Grand Canyon.
And the cause of the accident, it is not to comply with the rules!
They died because Stop Sign didn’t stop!
The accident happened on US Highway 93, 70km southeast of Las Vegas, near Pierce Ferry Road.
The bus that collided with the SUV came from dallas cowboys, Texas, and there were three staff members besides the driver. Their destination is California, and they will make a short stop in Las Vegas.
At the time of the accident, the SUV was traveling from north to south along Highway 93. When it turned left at the intersection, it did not stop to give way according to the STOP Sign, and directly hit the bus driving at a high speed in the opposite direction.
Highway 93 leads to the Grand Canyon Xixia, and Pierce Ferry leads to the Indian Reserve, so there are many tourists and vehicles, which is an accident-prone zone. Although there is a speed limit of 120 kilometers, the whole highway 93 is very straight. Many car accidents here are because the speed is too fast and it is too late to step on the brakes when encountering sharp turns.
Especially at the accident site, before the STOP sign, the bus went straight, and the SUV in the opposite direction had to turn. The bus thought that the left-turning car would let go first, and it might have rushed past without slowing down at all. According to the pictures at the scene of the car accident, it is difficult to identify the SUV even the model.
Chinese people don’t obey the rules and suffer the consequences.
Sadly, however, not obeying the traffic rules will destroy Chinese in the United States and them … …
Fly out of the car without wearing a seat belt and die on the spot.
On March 28th this year, seven students from Pacific Union College were involved in a car accident while driving a Ford RV northwards near Sunnyside Drive in Napa Valley. The driver was Issac Soon Hwang, a 21-year-old Asian boy. The police said that he made an "unsafe turn" at that time, causing the vehicle to drift out of control to the right shoulder, unable to avoid hitting a boulder and then turning over.
Pan Fen, one of the passengers who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown out of the car and died on the spot!
Left transfer bank’s "trouble"
On October 10, 2015, a "left transfer bank" traffic accident also occurred on Highway 160 in Bailanpo Town, Nevada. Mr. Xu, a tourist from China, was driving a 7-seater car, and was hit by a Ford SUV when he turned left on the main road through Bell Vista. The wife sitting on the right side of the second row died on the spot, and her daughter was seriously injured by a fracture. Three people, including the driver, and the passengers in the Ford car were slightly injured to varying degrees.
According to Google map, there is a stop sign at the intersection where Mr. Xu is located. The vast majority of netizens speculated that because of the bad driving habits in China, Mr. Xu did not give way to the cars on the main road when driving, which led to such a tragic disaster.
Eleven American Traffic Rules Easily Ignored by "Old Drivers in China"
August is coming, which is the peak season for China tourists to travel, and a large number of new students will go to the United States to study soon. Whether traveling or studying abroad, domestic old drivers must not ignore the differences in driving habits and traffic regulations between China and the United States!
Find fault with one: stop the road sign!
The domestic stop sign is in name only, and no one takes it seriously. But not in America! One! Sample! STOP SIGN in the United States exists just like traffic lights. There are no traffic lights at many intersections, but only STOP SIGN. Cars on other roads will stop by default and will not let you. So, it must stop!
Find fault with two: meet people must let!
In China, the green light is the passport for old drivers. But in America, whether it’s a green light or not, whether it’s an intersection or not, whether it’s an expressway or not, pedestrians are the biggest. There used to be news reports that police in some states would pretend to be passers-by fishing law enforcement.
Find fault with three: the three great cars must be let!
American road bullies are not big trucks that move more than ten meters at a time, nor sports cars that make people’s blood boil when they step on the engine, but school buses, police cars and ambulances.
How far are these three gods? Give way when you see it, and you can’t overtake after it. Especially the school bus, the first of the three magic cars, goes first when it sees the school bus. Close to the school bus and the gravitational range of the campus, the speed will drop to 20 miles per hour.
If you see the school bus sticking out a "STOP" sign from the side of the car body, not only do you give way, but all the cars in the front, back, left and right must stop completely until the sign is put away!
Find fault four: you must stop on the right when you hear the police car whistle.
In China, you may even keep pace with the police car whistling, and even overtake his car. But it’s different here. Remember that there is a police car following you. Find a safe place to pull over immediately. If you are on the highway, find the nearest exit.
If the police car follows, stop the car immediately and don’t get off the bus. Wait for the police to come and listen to the police, show your driver’s license and answer questions. Once you get off the bus without being asked by the police, you will not be fined, but may be shot by the police!
Getting off the bus is considered a dangerous act of resistance. If you get off the bus by accident, please ask hands in the air to avoid misunderstanding.
Find fault five: turn right at the red light
The basic principle is that unless there are special instructions, at a red light, turning vehicles can turn right without affecting the running of straight vehicles.
However, the specific state is different! Especially in Los Angeles, red lights at many intersections can’t turn right. Be sure to read the mark clearly.
Find fault with six: green light is not everything.
Old drivers in China can escape many responsibilities as long as they cling to a green light, but in the United States, it is neither right nor wrong.
First of all, if there is a traffic jam on the central island of the intersection, even the green light has to wait. Secondly, when the green light goes straight, it depends on whether there are pedestrians and the three magic cars. Even if pedestrians don’t obey the traffic rules, the police will punish you for not consulting. Not to mention turning right and left at the green light.
Find fault seven: direct traffic has priority.In places where roads meet in the United States, an inverted triangular red sign "YIELD" is usually set up to remind parallel vehicles to "give way" and direct traffic has priority. At many intersections, you can see that the through train whizzes past, while the vehicles that need to merge slowly or even stop on the road, and then merge into the lane after the through train passes completely.
Chinese people must get used to this, because there are traffic lights in China to arrange everything, and it depends on self-judgment here. If you don’t yield to the vehicles in the straight lane, and at high speed, the consequences will be unimaginable!
Find fault 8: Carpool Lane, a carpool lane.
In terms of car habits, the biggest difference between the United States and China is that China is crowded with a car to go to a restaurant to drink, while the United States is driving to a party alone. Therefore, the United States will have a "reward" for carpoolers to have a special lane called Carpool Lane.
When passing through the expressway, you will usually see a diamond-shaped sign on the ground and a Carpool Lane marked with a sign "Car Pool Lane" on the leftmost side of the road. The carpool lane is a lane dedicated to buses or shared vehicles on the expressway.
If the knowledge inside the car meets the minimum requirements for carpooling, you can drive in the carpool lane, and motorcycle drivers can also use the carpool lane unless otherwise marked.
Find fault with nine: All passengers should wear seat belts.
Yes, all passengers should wear seat belts, including those in the back seat. If the police catch you not wearing your seat belt, the passengers will have to pay a fine. Yes, nothing to do with the driver.
By the same principle, children in the car should use safety seats. Don’t think it’s just for children. The definition of children in the United States is very broad. It seems that you are the boss, and you still need to use a safety seat when you get on the bus. If you are caught, you will be fined for your parents’ money, and you may be suspected that you can’t bear the responsibility of children’s safety!
However, different states have different requirements for children of different ages, heights and weight ranges. In California, for example, children who weigh less than 60 pounds or are under 6 years old must use child seats.
Find fault with 10: Don’t park in disabled parking spaces.
This item is not available in China. The most convenient parking spaces in the United States are usually disabled parking spaces. When you first arrive in the United States, or in an emergency, you may ignore these parking space signs, and you will get a high ticket!
In the United States, the fines for occupying parking spaces for disabled people will be thousands! If only the wheel hits the disabled parking space, or if you borrow the disabled parking space for a short time, you will also get a ticket, and the fine will be 4500 yuan. Even if you borrow the disabled parking space to reverse, you will be warned once it is discovered by law enforcement agencies. Only vehicles with special license plates approved by the state government of the United States can be parked.
Find fault with eleven: look at the color first when parking on the roadside
Stop temporarily on both sides of the road within the city, and you will find that the roadside is painted in various colors, and some of them are marked with time. This is the American traffic rules that control the parking range by color.
White: temporary parking only, for passengers to get on and off or deliver mail.
Green: Parking time is limited. Pay attention to the sign next to the green area or the time allowed to stay on the curb.
Yellow: Only passengers can stop temporarily when getting on or off or loading and unloading goods. Drivers of non-commercial vehicles usually have to stay in the car.
Cyan: Only licensed vehicles or designated vehicles (disabled vehicles, etc.) can park.
Red: No parking or staying (buses can stop temporarily in the red sign area of the bus).
"American old drivers" tend to ignore the 7 major
Dangerous details
The "old driver" who drives in the United States may "hehe" twice after reading the above contents, but you actually don’t know that these dangerous details that are easy to ignore may also kill you.
1. It is not as simple as "stopping" before stopping sign.
① Intersections with Stop signs on all four sides: stop for 2 seconds, then avoid vehicles in the opposite direction and left and right directions according to the principle that whoever stops first goes first, and turn left to avoid direct vehicles before turning.
② It is not an intersection with Stop signs on all four sides: generally, the vehicles on the right should go first, but if you are driving on a main road or expressway, the right of way is yours, and the vehicles that want to enter, cross or turn must avoid you. Some people may say that the Stop sign doesn’t need to stop completely, just click and even slow down.
This is definitely illegal. Of course, many Chinese and drivers in some big cities in California do it. People call this kind of parking California Stop, which is ironic.
2, turn to judge the right of way.
① Intersection with left turn light: first turn on the left turn green light, and go straight until the left turn passes. When the left turn green light flashes, it indicates that you need to turn left as soon as possible and change the light immediately.
② If there is no special left turn light: many street lamp signs will have Yield signs, telling you to turn left and let go straight. If you see a straight car coming, let him go even if he arrives at the intersection a few seconds later than you.
Forcing a left turn by T-bone will be like this:
③ Vehicles turning right are the worst. You should consciously stop to avoid vehicles merging left, and also stop to avoid vehicles going straight. Pedestrians need to avoid them more. This is easy to understand. You can turn right at any time, so you should yield to everyone. Unless there is a special right-turn indicator light at this intersection, it will save the brain and look at the light directly. Also note that when you turn right, you need to merge to the far right!
3. Do you see blind spots when you go straight and parallel?
The United States stipulates that overtaking is on the left.
Passing the front car and returning to the right lane is the "hardest hit" of the car accident.
Turn back to the right lane: According to American regulations, in this case, not only the complete rear car needs to be seen in the right mirror, but also the rear window mirror in the middle of the car must see the complete rear car before turning back to the right.
Overtaking in only one lane: If you drive slowly, and there is only one lane in the same direction on the road, it is inconvenient to overtake, then when you find that there are more than five vehicles behind you, you need to turn on the lights and stop in the emergency lane on the far right to avoid the vehicles behind you.
4、Turn left in the "death lane"
There are few isolation piers or guardrails in China in the middle of Meidi Road. What if you want to go to the supermarket, but it is on the left side of the road?
Yellow waiting area: turn left at this time, you can temporarily use this road in the middle double yellow line, but don’t take more than 100 meters. The use of this lane is similar to overtaking on the left. First, make sure that the lane is free, and no one on the opposite side turns on the left light. Then turn on the left light, keep the speed and pass, but the operation after merging is just the opposite. Slow down or stop until there is no car on the opposite side, and then turn left.
If you meet a car moving in the opposite direction and turn left at the same time, you should learn to be polite. The above judgment and operation should be completed in a short time in the process of fast driving on the left lane, and people’s judgment of "simultaneity" is not so accurate, so this lane is called "death lane".
There is no waiting area: then if this road is not a yellow double solid line and does not exceed two lanes, you can Yield first and then turn left carefully. Even if there is a car going straight behind, he will stop waiting patiently for you to turn left before leaving, or go straight to other lanes to bypass you. There are isolation piers on expressways in big cities. Don’t think about it, you can’t turn left for sure.
5. What should I do in the face of "unexpected trouble"
At high speed, if you have a flat tire or find a small foreign body flying in front, hold the steering wheel tightly and remember not to hit the direction indiscriminately!
Slight changes in the steering wheel under high-speed driving will bring great deviation, and turning the steering wheel or braking sharply will easily cause the vehicle to flick its tail or even roll over.
6. It is dangerous to overspeed in these places.
Rumor has it that it doesn’t matter if the speed limit is 10%, but some people once got a ticket because they were driving at 52 on the road with a speed limit of 45.
Pay special attention to the vicinity of the school, this is a zero tolerance area, and you can’t exceed it at all!
Also pay attention to the place where you get off the bridge. When you get on the bridge, your vision is limited, and the police may hide behind the bridge.
7. American driving [black ten minutes]
The greater the speed difference, the more serious the consequences of collision. Accidents are most likely to occur when the parallel line enters the expressway, gets off the expressway ramp, and keeps pace with the "disastrous vehicle", which is also called black for ten minutes.
The Consulate of China reminds citizens to pay attention to these.
Remind China citizens in the territory to abide by local traffic laws.
2016/07/07
In July this year, the China Consulate in Los Angeles issued a self-driving reminder to the United States, and made a detailed explanation on the driver’s license requirements and how to deal with car accidents.
The following is the specific content:
First, the use of driver’s license
According to the relevant provisions of California law, citizens of China who have reached the age of 18 who visit California for a short period of time may not apply for a California driver’s license in principle if they hold a valid driver’s license issued by China. However, because the name column of China driver’s license has no corresponding English, in order to prevent the traffic police from being unable to confirm personal information when checking the certificate, we can first prepare English translation of public documents in China.
It should be noted that this provision is only applicable to business and tourist visa holders with short-term entry (B1 and B2 visas), and drivers can provide their passports, visas and air tickets to prove it. Those who hold long-term visas such as work and study abroad should apply for a local driver’s license in California as soon as possible.
China driver’s license in Arizona and New Mexico can refer to the relevant regulations of California. However, according to the traffic regulations of Hawaii, China driver’s license cannot be used locally.
Second, self-driving precautions
The traffic regulations of China and the United States are similar, but the traffic regulations of the United States are still somewhat different from those of China in details. Once you violate it, you will face high fines and even jail time.
For example, the principle of pedestrians first, that is, you must not grab the road with pedestrians during driving a motor vehicle; Turn the signal in advance when changing the line, and do not rush at will; Observe the speed limit and keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front when driving; When the school bus STOPs and the "stop" sign is erected, it must stop accordingly; Firefighting and first-aid vehicles with horns shall stop in time to avoid; You must carry your driver’s license, driving license and vehicle insurance when driving.
Before driving on the road, drivers can know the local traffic rules in advance and get familiar with the local road signs by downloading the driving manual compiled by the local traffic department:
Third,California:Driver’s Manual (Chinese Version 2015)
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/228841fc-37f3-43e1-8ac5-07af94393138/dl600C.pdf? MOD=AJPERES
Avoid being accused of hit-and-run The information exchanged mainly includes: the driver’s information, the vehicle information involved, the contact information of witnesses, etc., and the scene of the incident can also be recorded by using tools such as mobile phones.
IV. Handbook of China Citizens Living in the United States
For the compatriots who came to the United States after going abroad for the first time, I recommend reading the Handbook of China Citizens Living in the United States compiled by our embassy in the United States.
Original text and download link: http://losangeles.china-consulate.org/chn/lgdt/t1378427.htm
Editor: Dudu &Nina;