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What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Old Dec 14th 2016, 4:22 pm
  #91  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
Same way the rest of us did - make sure you can identify what a car is and where you sit in it.
getting in the right side of the car was the hardest part.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 4:26 pm
  #92  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by mrken30
getting in the right side of the car was the hardest part.
Actually, the driving test was probably one of the biggest culture shocks I had. My UK test lasted about an hour, in Friday afternoon rush hour traffic in a busy part of Belfast, which I barely passed. My test here was 10 minutes, involved very little actual technical stuff and I had to stop myself from asking 'is that it?' once we got back to the DMV building.

The written test was a piece of piss on both sides of the Atlantic though, just rote learning really.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 4:30 pm
  #93  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
Actually, the driving test was probably one of the biggest culture shocks I had. My UK test lasted about an hour, in Friday afternoon rush hour traffic in a busy part of Belfast, which I barely passed. My test here was 10 minutes, involved very little actual technical stuff and I had to stop myself from asking 'is that it?' once we got back to the DMV building.

The written test was a piece of piss on both sides of the Atlantic though, just rote learning really.
I'm too old to have taken the UK written test . Did you do the hazard observation video test?
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 4:39 pm
  #94  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by mrken30
I'm too old to have taken the UK written test . Did you do the hazard observation video test?
I did -

Sat at a computer playing a video and clicked the mouse every time you see something dodgy, they print out your results at the end. It's probably changed now but that's what I did.

Written test was multiple choice on the computer too as I recall.

My practical test was also done in rush-hour. We were an hour late back to the test centre (because of the absolutely enormous traffic jam he directed me into), so I passed with the car largely stationary.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 4:39 pm
  #95  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by mrken30
I'm too old to have taken the UK written test . Did you do the hazard observation video test?
No, just the 'theory' test and the driving test itself.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 5:18 pm
  #96  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Not on the M4 they don't! ..... I find lane discipline to be poor in the UK .... and poorer in the US.
I've driven on the M4 and some other motorways, and found them to be much more orderly than much of the US. Consider me to be a fan.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 5:36 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by RoadWarriorFromLP
I've driven on the M4 and some other motorways, and found them to be much more orderly than much of the US. Consider me to be a fan.
So you'll appreciate why us British immigrants to the US find US driving standards to be so poor.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 5:42 pm
  #98  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by RoadWarriorFromLP
I've driven on the M4 and some other motorways, and found them to be much more orderly than much of the US. Consider me to be a fan.
I assume that's before you start talking about signage. Putting one sign up 300 yards before the exit on a 60 mile an hour road is not good planning.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 5:47 pm
  #99  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
So you'll appreciate why us British immigrants to the US find US driving standards to be so poor.
The basic difference between the US and Europe is cultural.

Americans are more self-centered behind the wheel and are less inclined to cooperate with others to facilitate the flow of traffic. Sharing the road here is akin to communism: it's me, me, me.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 5:53 pm
  #100  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by mrken30
I assume that's before you start talking about signage. Putting one sign up 300 yards before the exit on a 60 mile an hour road is not good planning.
The thing that I detest about road signage in much of the world outside of the US and Canada is the lack of compass directions. Instead of referring to north/south/east/west, they'll often to refer to some minor place that is of no help to anyone who isn't already familiar with the area.

What really drives me nuts are the French direction signs that are pointed in such a way that it is hard to tell where they are pointing. This would be fine if I was on a horse and had time to look at them, but it doesn't make much sense in a car.

The North American practice of displaying street names in conspicuous places also makes more sense. Only the Germans seem to have figured out that it makes sense to not rely on the sides of buildings to inform drivers of the names of cross streets.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 5:54 pm
  #101  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Introducing Mr Chog to driving on country lanes in Suffolk and Norfolk on our last trip was amusing for me.

Less so for him
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 5:58 pm
  #102  
 
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by RoadWarriorFromLP
The basic difference between the US and Europe is cultural.

Americans are more self-centered behind the wheel and are less inclined to cooperate with others to facilitate the flow of traffic. Sharing the road here is akin to communism: it's me, me, me.
I have noticed a significant cultural change in my neck of the woods in the fouteen years I have lived here, most notably at several badly designed and/or uncontrolled junctions, as well as exits from parking lots and even driveways. A lot more drivers are willing to stop to allow other drivers their turn, especially in heavy traffic, whereas that was not the case a few years ago, and most drivers seem to have learned what flashed headlights and a wave means - "go ahead!"

In one case a T junction has become close-to a threeway STOP during the morning and evening rush hour because so many drivers recognize it as a complete disaster - in other words drivers going across the top of the T are stopping for drivers waiting to turn out of the leg of the T.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 6:00 pm
  #103  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
In one case a T junction has become close-to a threeway STOP during the morning and evening rush hour because so many drivers recognize it as a complete disaster - in other words drivers going across the top of the T are stopping for drivers waiting to turn out of the leg of the T.
Someone in front of me on a roundabout stopped in the circle to let someone in the other day. I wanted to run over their face.
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 6:06 pm
  #104  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

In defense of NY state, things are far more orderly with merging than the UK ever was.

The mentality in my town at least is, there are two lanes merging to one, better spread out and let people slide in to keep the flow of traffic.

The mentality of my town in the UK was who the F do you think you are sneaking in front of me? F that, i'm going to hug the guy in-fronts bumper to block you and cause gridlock (note I was one of the bumper huggers, I used to *hate* people using lanes in-front of a merge to skip a minor bit of traffic).
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Old Dec 14th 2016, 6:08 pm
  #105  
 
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
I have noticed a significant cultural change in my neck of the woods in the fouteen years I have lived here, most notably at several badly designed and/or uncontrolled junctions, as well as exits from parking lots and even driveways. A lot more drivers are willing to stop to allow other drivers their turn, especially in heavy traffic, whereas that was not the case a few years ago, and most drivers seem to have learned what flashed headlights and a wave means - "go ahead!"

In one case a T junction has become close-to a threeway STOP during the morning and evening rush hour because so many drivers recognize it as a complete disaster - in other words drivers going across the top of the T are stopping for drivers waiting to turn out of the leg of the T.
I thought you guys crossed roads using dirt ramps and jumps.
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