Dealing with Traffic Accidents in Taiwan

Here are some tips for dealing with traffic accidents in Taiwan. Specifically when you rear end someone while trying to wedge into traffic.


Firstly, as in any traffic incident, don't panic. Even if you have to do some paper work or visit the cops, your Taiwan friends will go with you and do all the talking.


Number 2, since it is raining, hang out in your car for a while. This lets the victim of your carelessness realize he is getting wet while staring at the minimal damage. Hanging out for a while also lets the traffic jam grow while the poor guy tries to figure out what to do.


Number 3, and most important, when you finally get out of the car, speak ONLY English. This is very important. Not only will the guy panic when he sees you are a foreigner, he will literally freak out when you speak English very quickly. He will blank out on any lessons he ever took.

You should say, "Ohman, I am really sorry because I just woke up and was trying to do the radio and check Blackberry and wave goodbye to the parking attendant all at the same time but the good news is that both of our bumpers are so mangled already that it is impossible to see any damage and that is what bumpers are for anyway right?"

This final tactic should be the hammer as the guy is wet, people are honking and he is already not really sure what to do.

It is okay to feel good when he literally runs back to his car and drives away quickly. You have saved time for yourself, the guy and your co-worker that would have had to talk to the cops.

So there are a few tips. Just in case.