Tip # 3: Look six ways before crossing the road

It appears to me that the rule of the road is that there's no rules. The system works like this- forget the traffic lights, forget that there's lanes on the road, and believe in your mind that everyone is crazy. Shanghainese pedestrians are quite the experts in navigating these treacherous roads- it's amazing to see them stroll nonchalently through a busy street- vehicles barely inches away and bicyclists headed on a collision course- without even the slightest hint of fear. On the other hand, I fear for my life each time I have to cross an intersection. I usually do this: I wait for somebody, say, a young mother with a kid who also needs to cross, and then I squimishly follow close behind them. It's the safest way to avoid getting hit by a half-ton truck.