1. Left or right?

China drives on the right, like continental Europe, the US, the Middle East and Russia. Our cars are left-hand drive. Overtake on the left. Enter the motorway from a right slip road and exit on the right. If you come from a left-hand-drive country (UK, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India), take the first two days easy.

2. Speed limits

Urban expressway / motorway 100-120 km/h; national / provincial road 60-80; city main road 50-60; residential side road 30-40; school and hospital zones 30. Yunnan and western Sichuan mountain roads change limits often — listen to Amap.

3. Motorway lanes

Usually 2-3 lanes each way: left lane overtaking 100-120; middle cruising 80-100; right lane trucks 60-80. Do not loiter in the overtaking lane. Minimum speed 60. Up to 10% over the limit is tolerated (132 on a 120 road). 10-20% over = 3 points, 200 CNY; 20-50% = 6 points; over 50% = 12 points and revocation. The red-and-white hard shoulder is for emergencies only — driving on it in a jam costs 6 points and 200 CNY. Yunnan motorways use average-speed cameras.

4. Lights and signs

Green go, stop before the white line on amber, red stop. At some intersections left turns and straight traffic share green — yield to oncoming. Turning traffic yields to straight; right turn yields to left; roundabout entry yields to traffic inside. Zebra crossings: you must stop for pedestrians, 3 points and 200 CNY if caught.

5. Seatbelts and phones

Driver and front passenger must belt up — 1 point, 50 CNY. No hand-held phone calls; a mounted phone for navigation and a Bluetooth earpiece are fine.

6. Drink driving

At 20 mg/100 ml blood alcohol: licence suspended 6 months, fine 1,000-2,000, 12 points. At 80 mg/100 ml: criminal drunk driving. For a foreigner, the temporary permit is revoked and future visas affected. Not even one beer at lunch.

7. Other things to watch

Oncoming full beam at night — switch to dipped. E-bikes are everywhere in Chinese cities; check over your shoulder when turning. Pedestrians in small Yunnan towns walk straight across the road. Petrol stations: tell the attendant "92, full". Toll booths: use the manned lane, take a ticket, pay at exit, WeChat/Alipay/cash. Tunnels: dip headlights, no lane changes, speed cameras at the portals. Rainy season (Jun-Aug): afternoon showers, watch rockfall. Winter (Dec-Feb): high passes may be snowy, we carry chains.

8. Emergency numbers

Traffic police 122; ambulance 120; police 110; fire 119. At checkpoints in Yunnan, Xinjiang or Tibet, slow down, show passport and temporary permit, answer questions and drive on.

Questions: WeChat qxzj7557 (WhatsApp +86 137-5915-5671).