No, it’s always elderly or lady in a car first. We try to out polite each other, especially at a four way stop. The exception to this are Navajo in a reservation rocket, and that’s only because they don’t have working brakes.
Again, it’s all about courtesy. Always stop when someone is having car trouble. A water well guy’s car had vapor lock yesterday in town, and people were running out with tools, drinks, whatever.
We don’t text or you hit an elk
Yeah, drunk driving is absolutely a sport. Especially in the highways, as the state troopers generally stop patrols after 9:00 pm (or 12:00 in some areas). Towns, watch out.
The biggest problem our troopers have is too many people pulling over to help at accidents. Or jumping out and returning massive fire at someone. (Happened with some drug smugglers. Cops had it handled and some civilians came and helped by killing all the bad guys. Which, I suppose, works, too. This is Lincoln County, after all. (As in Billy the Kid, et al)
Roads are fine. Mainly because there are few giant trucks.
Yes, slow starts. Look both ways.
No one stays in their lane at 85mph (that’s the speed limit) when the wind is going horizontal at 50mph. You just kind of go like a crab down the highway with the wheel cocked. Little scary when there is an oncoming truck that blocks the wind for a split second and your car tries to make a sharp left turn.
I miss being in the middle of nowhere for all of these reasons…but I totally get you on the wind. I drove through the mountains of Iceland in a windstorm on my honeymoon and it was horrifying
Couple of points worth considering when it comes to driving in the US vs. driving in Europe:
For me, traffic flows differently in the US, mostly acceleration/braking on a busy interstate. I think that perceptible change is due to the prevalence of automatics and thus somewhat jerkier changes of speed.
Driving culture. SUVs are driven around like land ships you get a distinct impression that they’re not very adept at maneuvering cars in confined environments
The Nazi instituted “exit on the right” rule on highways is not universally applicable in the US, leading to tense moments for Europeans, especially on multi lane roads ringing major cities.
Unwritten rules. Two people tried to start a fight with me while I was a rental in the US, a pickup truck driver in West Virginia and a guy in a suit in rural Pennsylvania. For the former I assume I drove too close to his fender, but for the latter I’m still in the dark about what I did. Multiple cars stopped at an intersection, people started a nodding and waving and I ignored all of this, turned right at a stop sign and then the guy started honking furiously and followed me for a few miles.
Traffic stops. Despite his excessive politeness you can discern from a small amount of underlying tension that the cop that pulled you over believes that there is a non-zero probability that you’ll pull a gun and shoot him. This is in my experience absent in Europe and slightly freaked me out every time I was pulled over.
I live in the middle of a large metro area and am surprised by how courteous most drivers are. There’s always the assholes who pass on the right or jump a 4 way stop but for the most part people obey signs, lights, and especially crosswalks. I don’t know if they’ve sprung up else where as well but most crosswalks (absent stop signs) now have a black and white reflector letting drivers know they need to stop for pedestrians and most drivers do, that I’ve seen.
People definitely seem to have mellowed out over the last 15 years or so.
I’m British, and lived in the US for almost 10 years. Some pretty poor driving over there, and lots of tailgating and road rage - much MUCH more than I’ve ever experienced in the UK.
Also, people hardly ever indicate their intentions (use turn signals), and this is a terrible habit among many Americans. In the UK, if we are changing lanes, we use our indicators (turn signal, in American terminology) to show people we are about to change lanes. In the US, people just jump in front of you. It’s annoying and dangerous.
Having said that, I’ve travelled around countries that are even worse for drivers. Scariest place for driving? Egypt. They don’t even abide by the lanes, they crete their OWN imaginary lanes!
This is very common here. And when they do use them, the use makes very little sense. For example, turning the blinkers on while changing lanes is very smart indeed. Might as well use them after you’re done to remind me you just changed lane!
Or people who are on a left-only lane yet still have the left blinker. I mean, it doesn’t do any damage but it’s silly, if you can only turn left. I’d rather people use them when it’s actually useful, than that.
Ever seen someone signal left and then merge into a right lane?
Yeah…that was me - once. I just had a lumbar epidural for spinal stenosis/DDD, etc. and the office told me explicitly I wouldn’t be allowed to leave until I had someone come pick me up. My wife (then gf) was there the whole time and I was signed out less than 15 minutes after coming out of anaesthesia.
Let’s just say I was hopped up on massive corticosteroids, opiates, and completely forgot by the time we were in the parking lot that I wasn’t supposed to drive. Took the keys (wife said I had a look on my face that let her know I wouldn’t be letting anyone but me drive) and made it home safe.
She told me the next day I ran a stop sign, used right turn signals when turning left…said she just held on tight and prayed the way home.
I now have kids and drive like a geezer. A geezer with a chambered .45 at all times…I USED to be one of those crazies…I will never take any chances ever again.
