Drivers in Korea

When I lived in California, I constantly heard people of all different ethnic backgrounds, including other Asians, say, “That crazy Asian driver!”  and since there are tons of drivers in Southern California, I didn’t really take it to heart. However, upon living in South Korean for nearly two months, I have found that this cliché really rings true here. Here are a few examples of incidents that might have helped strengthen that opinion:

1.      From the very first time I set foot in Korea, I noticed that there were these little foam things on the sides of a lot of cars. Most of the time, they were on new cars, but you’d see them on cars of all shapes and sizes. I didn’t think to ask what they were for because I just figured they were for general protection. But then I started to ponder how exactly they worked. I should have figured this out much sooner, but sometimes seeing how something works in action is  better. 

      In Korea, like many other small countries with high density populations, the streets are pretty small. Parking lots and spaces are also small. So, one afternoon, a co-worker took me and two of my co-teachers to a prep meeting for an English Speech contest. I was sitting in the back seat so my co-worker pulled open the back door for me to get out and bam, she hit the other car with the edge of her door. At first, I was a bit horrified that she had so blatantly hit the other car while trying to help me get out, but then I saw the foam pad on the car and the light bulb in my head flashed on. Ding ding ding. You win a prize for that one. It only took you one and half months to figure out what those foam things are for.  Here are a few not-so-good pictures of what they look like:

3.      I’ve noticed that people tend to think of seat belts in the back seat as optional. Here’s one example: I was given a ride by a co-worker one afternoon and his kindergarten son was facing us( in the back seat) sitting on the center console while we drove through the neighborhood. We weren’t driving fast, but it made me so nervous. I kept thinking, “one little accident=one dead kid.” I had to really restrain myself from saying anything or pulling the kid into the middle seat and buckling him in. I am a seat belt freak. If I can’t buckle my seat belt, I get antsy.  Also, taxis often have seat covers in the back seat so try as you might, you can’t get to the seat belt buckle. This drives me crazy, especially since cab drivers drive pretty fast anyway.

4.      One morning, as I was walking to work, I saw a car crash into a bus. Yes, a bus. And the bus was not moving. This guy must have been really out of it because he wasn’t going that fast, but he failed to see the big bus in front of him.  The bus was stopped in front of an intersection in traffic and the driver of the car just kept going and going and bam. As a witness, I was wondering what the protocol was for something like this, but the girl next to me who had also seen it, looked for a second and then kept walking. I was about to take a picture, but then the bus driver got out of the bus and started wildly gesturing and yelling at the man so I walked away. Later I was told that people just tend to mind their own business about those things unless they are involved.

5.      During the first week of school, when my friend and I were exchanging stories, she told me (amidst peals of laughter) that her co-teacher had gotten in an accident in the parking lot when they were shopping together at the local HomePlus (think Target, but smaller scale). I’m sure if I had been there it wouldn't have been funny, but from the way she described it, she couldn't stop from laughing at the incredulity of the situation. Her co-teacher, too, hit a parked car.

6.      And last but not least:  When you stand at the crosswalk and the little green walking person comes on the signal, no one crosses the street right away, and with good reason. Nearly every time I’m at an intersection, some car blows through their red light with no regard to any other cars or any pedestrians going the other direction. This is a regular occurrence, but it still blows my mind when I see it.

So needless to say, I thought that it was quite an exaggeration that in so many Korean dramas, people get hit by cars or hit by cars while in a car, or die from getting hit by a car, but it is isn't dramatic at all.  I might even go as far as to say that drivers in Korea really are crazy. So, if you ever visit Korea, be warned: Stay safe out there!