Driving

Everyone says Korean drivers are crazy, but I don't find the hype is vastly overblown. Not that they aren't aggressive in their own way, but, as usual, the rumours are greatly exaggerated. They are about as aggressive as drivers in many large cities. The main difference is that they follow several different standards.

*First, honking is far more pre-emptive than reacitve. This has its merits, as it keeps people from having to slow down in order not to kill each other.
*Second, they do actually drive on the sidewalks. Not at full speed, but they do drive up there sometimes as a short cut, or to get to better parking.
*Third, parking is much more ad-hoc. People specifically leave their numbers on their dash, so drivers they are blocking can call their mobile phones to get them to move. That's why double parking actually works. As does parking on the sidewalk.
*Fourthly, U-turns which are a great innovation. Any road has a designated U-turn area, to avoid the long drive around to switch direction. Excellent traffic planning. This needs to come to Canada.