Just the other day me and my boyfriend caught a cab to a restaurant in downtown. We could not believe our luck when we realized that the backseat of the car actually had seatbelts that were usable (usually there are seatbelts in Chinese taxis, however, no buckle). Happily we buckled up and chatted away until we, five minutes later, were interrupted by a roar of laughter coming from the front seat.
We curiously looked at the driver through the rear-view mirror, keen to find out what had made him laugh out loud.
He, however, was cracking up so hard that he could barely speak. He simply laughed and laughed, making both of us giggle too.
Finally the words came through:
-He…. Use…. The…. Hahahhahahahahahhahaha! Seatbelt!
-Seatbelt what? I asked?
-Him! A man! His size! Use seatbelt! Hahahahhahaa! Such a strong, tall man! Use seatbelt!
Ahhhhhh, so that’s what it was all about. Out giggles immediately came to a halt, however, then we thought about the weirdness of this situation (an un-buckled-up- taxi driver laughing because we are taking the most basic safety measurements and use the seatbelts available when in a taxi that is completely oblivious to any kind of speed limits?) and it was our turn to start cracking up.
Oh China. Sometimes life here is charmingly absurd.
Of course! A man like your bf will magically be safe in the case of a collision. Silly Jonna ;)
ReplyDeletewell obviously large men are immune to accidents, didn't you know?
ReplyDeleteBe a Man Crack your head on a windsheild. You know we all have such hard heads anyway it won't hurt!!! Hello !!! Did somebody knock on the Taxi drivers forehead and ask to come in, at least there would be some common sense happening then!!
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeleteOkay I truly believe the "charmingly absurd"
China has the most accident involving Buses. anyway, It's good that you buckle up... you just cant count on the cab driver to secure your safety!
ohh boy! But at least he is positive about a big guy like your bf will not get hurt :)
Cheers!
great post!
That's odd. I bet he'll change his tune the first time he's in a car accident and slams his face into the steering wheel.
ReplyDeleteHaha, kanmuri and 조안나, u have the same since of humor!
ReplyDeletePete-Let's hope he stays lucky for the rest of his life when he drives without a seatbelt.
Nester -China has the most traffic accidents in the world involving all cars I believe. If they would learn how to use their seatbelt I think many lives could be saved.
Brad -let's hope he doesn't need to have an accident in order to realize.
Arrrgggh! Most times I put on the seat belt the driver quickly says "there's no need". I do it anyway and they seem to take it as an insult to their driving skills. They don't seem to realise that even at less than 30 miles per hour, both him and me would go right through the windscreen if we crashed.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like you need a degree in physics to understand. In 1997, 4 people were in a car in Paris when it crashed. One person survived and he was the only one wearing a seat belt. The other 3 of course were Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and the driver, Henri Paul.
Woai -I know?! It's absurd! Nowadays I often sit in the front (where it is possible to buckle up) and if they speed up too much I yell to them to slow down. That normally makes them laugh and look at me as if I am a big kid, but I don't care. I don't wanna die in a traffic accident.
ReplyDeleteoh, but never seen taxis having seat belts for back seats. It means that in China they really care about passenger safety (even they don't implement it always)
ReplyDelete