| Hi Sabrina,
Oh my! Are you sure your friend was not stoned? How could she not knowing how she end up in the trench and how long she stayed there? Well, all I can say is you should tell her not to drive if she's not well rested. She may not be that lucky if there is a next time. I would advice people not to take taxis for long hawl rides. Many of the taxis are rented to drivers on per diem basis at a flat fee. In order to maximize the usage of the car, some drivers sublet their rented taxis to other drivers for a second shift. Any vehicles being driven continuously without much rest or maintainence are likely to have metal fatique and would break down at any moment. In addition, I suspect how well most taxis were manufactured. Without solid body frames, one can get seriously hurt in accidents. Furthermore, I doubt taxis have high insurance coverages. Do remember, human lives don't carry as much moneytary values in China as in the States. I don't mean to imply it's better to die in the States. A life is a life, but without having to pay out too much, many drivers may not be as cautious as they should have. I read about the compensation paid to victims' families of an plane crash occured in Inner Mongolian last year. The price ticket: $200,000RMB, which translates to $25,000US$. |
Donghai Bridge