American Drivers Suck

[krayzie]

I know someone that lived in the States for a few years, came back and started not wearing seatbelts, not signaling, and running lights lol!

[Mattstermh]

The number of countries with worse drivers than America is bountiful... and really unfortunate.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Impureclient

You have sex with bad cows and have fantasies about screwing honest citizens!

Well the good cows won't have anything to do with me.

[FRSapex]

The countless horrors I've seen responding to 911 calls on southern California freeways as a firefighter is sobering.

People really need to give careful thought when driving.

We're all just meat bags, water balloons, traveling at high speeds wrapped in heavy steel capsules.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I have driven military vehicles all over the world. Americian drivers are no worse than anyplace else. In fact they are way better than some places even when at their worst. The legendary great European drivers are every bit as bad no matter how much people love to tell their tales of wonder.
What I love the most about American drivers is their total contempt of the law. Everybody complains about how bad the other drivers are but the second they get caught then the police are wrong, incompetent or just criminals robbing the poor innocent driving public to fill their overflowing coffers with more cash. "Damn all those other drivers suck. By the way what is the best radar detector I can buy so I can speed but avoid being caught".

I wholeheartedly disagree. I drove in the UK predominately for 12 years and have been driving in the US for 18 years and every time I head home (the UK) I'm amazed at how civilized the driving is.

I refer to the right lane in the US as the 'European lane' and it seems I'm the only one who ever uses it. Multiple days I will be doing 60 in the right lane when the left is stalled.

Americans do not know how to merge. If you're merging in to another lane and it causes traffic in that lane to brake then it is an unsafe merge. This concept is lost on American drivers. Causing a car to brake can lead to a complete halt in traffic miles down the line. The 'zipper' merge is totally lost on US drivers, they just want to squeeze ahead of whomever they can. Plus, most drivers feel that a merge lane (where the lane ends) is their very own VIP lane where they can simply drive to the end of it and cut everyone else off.

I was exiting a freeway on to the feeder the other week (yay, Houston) and merging across 3 lanes (to the right) to turn right when a car turned on to the feeder and changed lanes to his left whilst I was merging to the right. He flashed his lights at me and when we hit the red light I rolled down my window and asked him what his problem was, where he replied that I almost hit him. I told him that I had the right of way and that he had almost hit me and his response was 'no, you didn't.' How do you respond to that?

[PNW FRS]

Thinning of the herd... but because of the miracle of reproduction, when bad drivers are gone, they are often replaced with their progeny...

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by UFO

The 'zipper' merge is totally lost on US drivers, they just want to squeeze ahead of whomever they can.

That depends on where you are. If you drive in the northeast corrider (NYC to DC), they understand the zipper merge concept and will stagger accordingly as long as you get on in there and don't lag back with your blinker on. I actually like driving around NYC, because in general nobody's actively trying to be an asshole, they're just not putting up with any bullshit from other drivers.

In contrast, your locator says you're in Katy, TX. The Houston area is one of the biggest piles of assholes I've ever visited. They go out of their way to make sure other people know they're "winning" traffic. Merging in front of one of them is an affront that must be prevented. If it can't be prevented, it must be avenged.

Those people actually do understand the zipper merge concept. They just don't care. They are so hell bent on winning traffic that they actively try to defeat the zipper merge just for the momentary feeling of victory when you get forced out. It's that way all over Texas, but the traffic volume in Houston cranks it up a notch.

[Braces]

I can't comment on US drivers vs the world. What I do know is that once you enter into traffic ... You are in THEIR world. The world with drivers of all ages and driver abilities.

Not sure what the solution is, but I've spent a lot of time teaching my young daughters DEFENSIVE DRIVING TECHNIQUES.

[softgrip]

Often (almost daily) I'm stuck behind someone doing 40kmh in a 70kmh zone on a twisty hill and crossing over double lines and dropping a wheel in the dirt. At the bottom of the hill it changes to a 50kmh zone and they do 70kmh.

Australian drivers are pretty bad. Generally ok in a straight line, but as soon as it rains or there are 2 or more corners in close proximity, their brains turn to stupid mode.

[humfrz]

WOW!




humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

WOW!




humfrz

Hey quit that. I'm losing track of which thread I'm reading.

[chaoskaze]

Originally Posted by UFO

Americans do not know how to merge. If you're merging in to another lane and it causes traffic in that lane to brake then it is an unsafe merge. This concept is lost on American drivers. Causing a car to brake can lead to a complete halt in traffic miles down the line. The 'zipper' merge is totally lost on US drivers, they just want to squeeze ahead of whomever they can. Plus, most drivers feel that a merge lane (where the lane ends) is their very own VIP lane where they can simply drive to the end of it and cut everyone else off.



I was exiting a freeway on to the feeder the other week (yay, Houston) and merging across 3 lanes (to the right) to turn right when a car turned on to the feeder and changed lanes to his left whilst I was merging to the right. He flashed his lights at me and when we hit the red light I rolled down my window and asked him what his problem was, where he replied that I almost hit him. I told him that I had the right of way and that he had almost hit me and his response was 'no, you didn't.' How do you respond to that?

This is mostly true, especially in like cali... Every single time the highway stopped out of no where cuz of ppl merging ... I wanna punch a baby. :mad:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mdm]

Originally Posted by UFO

The 'zipper' merge is totally lost on US drivers, they just want to squeeze ahead of whomever they can. Plus, most drivers feel that a merge lane (where the lane ends) is their very own VIP lane where they can simply drive to the end of it and cut everyone else off.

A properly executed zipper merge involves driving to the end of the merge lane and doing the the zipper only there (but not beyond the end of the lane). If you merge earlier, unevitably someone from behind you will use up that empty space and pass you. And you will get angry, and the driver in front of whom you merged will get angry, because two cars merged in front of him/her. Incidentally, zipper merge is in general barely more efficient than chaotic merge, the main advantage is less rage.


In my experience, American merges are completely chaotic. Some people try to merge immediately, even before the solid line ends. Some do it in a random place. Some go beyond the end of the merge lane and merge from the shoulder. Not so many merge as they should: where the merge lane clearly ends, as indicated by the outer line (between merge lane and shoulder) changing direction (merge lane narrowing) and often by the line between lanes changing from regular broken line to dotted line.

They should really include this in driver's ed, if not in the law (like in Germany).


Here is the relevant German law (terrible Google translation, but one can figure it out):
Is on roads with several lanes for one direction, the continuous driving of a forbidden lane is not possible or is closing one lane, the hindered on Continue vehicles is the transition to the adjacent lane on the way to allow that these vehicles immediately prior to the narrowing of each in can arrange exchange for a vehicle traveling on the through lane vehicle (zipper method).

[mdm]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

That depends on where you are. If you drive in the northeast corrider (NYC to DC), they understand the zipper merge concept .

My experience from DC area is that maybe 25% of drivers understand zipper merge. But as my friend used to say, "just south of DC the civilization ends", so we are under heavy influence of the leones (or dracones) ;-)