2012-08-20   Defensive driving....and defensive walking!

In Hong Kong as in many countries around the world, drivers can take part in a Defensive Driving Course (DDC) to help them be safer drivers.
DDC courses teach drivers how to stay patient and safe, no matter what traffic conditions are like and no matter what mistakes other drivers may  make.  DDC courses help drivers know how to anticipate and avoid dangerous situations. The first DDC was begun in the US in 1964.

Maybe in HK someone could also start a Defensive Walking Course!
I say this because being a pedestrian in HK is not easy.
As a famous footballer from Australia once said on his first visit to HK some years ago: "HK pedestrians would make good Rugby players. They come straight at you and don't give an inch".

After being in HK for a long time, I must admit I have become an aggressive walker! I find myself most unwilling to give way when I'm walking along a footpath and someone comes out of a shop at full pace and expects others to give way to them. I also have developed the dangerous habit of using a pedestrian crossing as soon as the light turns green, playing a game of bluff with motorists who are ignoring the red light. Defensive walking means being patient with both pedestrians and drivers!