While on the field trip to Mei Nong we were on our own for lunch in Mei Nong. A highway runs through the town and the highway has two stop lights in the town. The tour guide told us to be careful at the stoplights because not everyone stopped on the red. His explanation was that since many of the old people had used the roads before the stoplights were installed, they believed the stoplights didn't apply to them. He explained that the red light was just a "suggestion" for them.
But if you spent any time at the intersection you could see that it wasn't just the old people who were ignoring the red lights. Anyone who thought they could get through without being hit was ignoring the red light. It's somewhat the same in Tainan but the roads are bigger and the traffic more so the lights are better observed. Even more so in Taipei and KaoHsuing, drivers of all kind see the benefits of the lights.
Of course, if there is ever an accident then the law about traffic lights will be dragged out and guilt assigned. Most scofflaws just don't plan to to have an accident. So what is a law if it isn't enforced? A mechanism for assigning guilt after the fact. Fear of guilt becomes the enforcer.
The same is true in the US, I'm sure that among the millions of laws in the US there are a few that say: "Crazy people can't have guns." But if the law is never enforced then the law has effect only after there has been an "accident".
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