Many foreigners feel that driving a car in China is quite difficult and do not want to drive themselves. However, my husband loves to drive (he says that Americans are born with a steering wheel in their hands), and has been driving in Shanghai for the past two years.

Bryan comments on driving in Shanghai: "A lot of my friends think the driving here is too dangerous because of all the bicyclists and pedestrians, but actually, I feel that driving here in China is no more dangerous than driving in, say, New York. I drove for more than five years in New York City which gave me great training. Still, as long as you understand that the rules of the road are slightly different in China, you will be fine."

In particular, one of the most fundamental rules in driving-who has the right of way-is different in China than in the West. Understanding this makes it a lot safer for Westerners to drive here. In the West, the car that is going straight has the right of way over cars that are turning left. So, if you're driving straight through an intersection, a car in the opposing lane wanting to turn left-therefore in front of you-would wait for you to go through. This is not the case in China. Very often cars will turn left in front of cars that are going straight, expecting the latter cars to stop. 

Additionally, cars that are entering the highway or a road from the right in the West will typically wait until any car going straight on the road has gone by. Once again, the car going straight has the fight of way and cars coming in from the right must yield. But, in China, it is very typical for cars to enter the roadway without looking to see if they have room to merge. The assumption is that the car going straight, which in the West would have the right of way, will see them and will avoid them. You also have to watch for bicyclists and motorcyclists who drive onto roads suddenly and expect the traffic to slow down for them. The rationale may very well be that, if a vehicle coming in from the right were to wait until the way was clear, he would never get onto the road.

Once I understood that the fundamental principle of right of way was different (or ignored), my driving became a lot more defensive, but also a lot safer. I learned to know what the other drivers intended to do. This may not be the law in China, but it is what happens in practice. You just have to be prepared for this reality.

(selected from 101 Stories for Foreigners to Understand Chinese People by Yi S.Ellis and Bryan D. Ellis, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2012)