Don't Let Good Intentions Turn into Tragedy: What the Delivery Driver Yielding to a Pedestrian Incident Teaches Us

What Happened?

I saw a video on Threads where a delivery driver on a scooter was passing through an intersection and saw a pedestrian standing by the crosswalk, looking like they were about to cross. He immediately slammed on the brakes to yield.

The problem is—the bus driver following closely behind had no idea he would suddenly stop, and immediately honked and slammed on the brakes, nearly hitting him. The pedestrian didn't cross right away, and the delivery driver even gestured for her to hurry up before she slowly crossed the crosswalk.

See on Threads

Comments from Netizens:

oorz1938tw: "If the delivery driver doesn't report the bus, I'll look down on him."

makotokase: "So pitiful. In other countries, the bigger the vehicle, the greater the responsibility. No wonder professional drivers in Taiwan are always killing people and then just throwing 300,000 at you and telling you to take it or leave it."

kevin84146: "He totally squeezed over. A road-raging idiot driver. Can his license be revoked? This kind of person is hopeless. Even if you educate him, he'll be the same. He just wants to kill people, what else could it be?"

kunhsienc: "Honestly, if there's a large vehicle behind me, I wouldn't stop to yield to a pedestrian. No need to risk my life to uphold traffic rights."

y871662906: "Damn it, does he even understand the rules for yielding to pedestrians? The pedestrian was just standing there, he could have just ridden past after three crosswalk lines. He deliberately stopped to provoke a fight. If it was a semi-truck behind him, his mom would be collecting his body."

chenjunqing205: "File a complaint against him. Definitely file a complaint. Make him lose his job. He's not worthy. Bus trash."

love93474684: "Was it a green light for straight traffic? My understanding is... he shouldn't have stopped to let a pedestrian jaywalk... if there's another lane, the pedestrian could even risk being hit by a car going straight... (Correct me if I'm wrong, no flame wars please)."

deng_hsiao: "He was so far away and still honked instead of braking."

tsai9246: "So awesome! Delivery guy, try a gravel truck next time."

eddie_wang_0311: "Always blaming the delivery driver.

1. Did you see how far the bus was from the delivery driver at the beginning? Still talking about sudden braking? Who didn't maintain a safe distance?
2. Not yielding to a pedestrian is a 6,000 fine. How many people don't even make 6,000 a day? How long does a delivery driver have to work under the hot sun?
3. And then he tailgated and kept honking, and even yelled over the PA system. Is that reasonable? Taiwan is really sick. So pathetic."

ryanlee3621: "As a pedestrian, I sometimes really feel that there's no need to yield so deliberately. When I'm about to cross the road, being yielded to is of course heartwarming. But sometimes, you could have just gone past and I could have crossed. But you suddenly stop, and the cars in the opposite direction don't stop, so I don't dare to cross. And then all the cars behind you are bunched up. I can only force myself to cross. Thanks for nothing... So now when I cross the road, I always check the traffic flow from afar before I walk to the side of the road. Or I deliberately avoid looking at the cars (not making eye contact with the drivers). I just don't want to encounter someone who yields too deliberately. So awkward..."

After watching the video

My thoughts are simple: this isn't a multiple-choice question of "who's right and who's wrong," but a chain reaction of "three parties creating a dangerous situation together."

The delivery driver's intention was right—yielding to pedestrians is correct. But his execution was like seeing a convenience store sign on the highway and immediately hitting the turn signal to cut across—even if the car behind has some distance, they'll be scared out of their wits.

The bus driver in the video actually did leave a safe distance. The problem is, no one can guarantee they can completely avoid a "zero-warning emergency brake," especially when he's carrying a bus full of passengers. Don't forget, due to gravity and acceleration, large vehicles aren't like motorcycles or cars that can "stop on a dime." When you slam on the brakes, the weight and inertia of the vehicle will make the braking distance stretch out like a long-running TV show. That long honk wasn't because he wanted to be aggressive; it was an instinctive reaction to the shock and pressure of that moment, and also a warning to the motorcycle—I might not be able to stop, you better be mentally prepared, don't expect to be able to stop immediately.

This incident gives us three lessons:

1. Good intentions must be executed correctly—yielding to pedestrians is fine, but slow down in advance, use your hazard lights, and don't use emergency braking as a surprise package.
2. A safe distance is the bottom line for survival—even though the bus had some distance this time, it was almost turned into a chain reaction of terror by the emergency brake.
3. Life is more important than regulations—yielding, driving, and walking should all be about mutual consideration. Don't treat the road as a stage and make every encounter like a thriller climax.

One last thing for the delivery driver: next time, please don't brake like that. The shock factor is higher than the spiciness of the food you deliver, and the inertia of a large vehicle is beyond your imagination. Don't turn the road into a physics lab.