There are so many car signs on Okinawa. I'm pretty sure that the "Baby Onboard" sign has fallen out of popularity back in the States. Here on Okinawa, it's alive and well.
But I think these two signs are the most popular. If you are a new driver and you hang the yellow/green arrow sign in your car...or if you are an elderly driver (I can't remember the age you have to be) and you display this orange/yellow raindrop sign on your car...it is a signal to those drivers around you to give you a wide berth. As wide as you can on a two-lane road which should be one-way with a truck parked on the side with its hazards flashing, that is.
(Trivia: If you get into an accident with a new or elderly driver {who has the appropriate sign displayed} you are found more at fault for the accident. Unless you are an American, in which case the signs have no meaning and the accident is almost always your fault {and I'm not being sarcastic or snide...I'm serious}. The Japanese government says that Amerikajin are "professional drivers" and therefore, if we get in an accident, more of the blame is ours just because we were there when the accident occurred. And they do work it out in percentages of culpability, depending on all the details at play.)
Did they get the point across here? Yes. But it's still pretty funny.
1 comment:
I find that policy very interesting since Asians are always trying to save face and act superior. Not when it comes to driving I guess.
I was in an accident (fender bender) in Seoul after just a few months of living there. I couldn't believe it when the driver of the other car (we were both at fault) had me sign paperwork claiming blame. There are all kinds of stories of American's getting hosed when they are in accidents...
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