Why can't Americans drive ?
Jun 12th 2007, 12:34 am
#16
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 68,280
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
Jun 12th 2007, 12:35 am
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: SC
Posts: 4,153
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
Well I see from this thread that there are some"perfect" drivers around in the USA. I feel safer now.
Jun 12th 2007, 12:37 am
#18
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: SC
Posts: 4,153
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
Opportune time for the Rev MightBe to preach from the sermon " let he among who is without sin cast the first stone". Amen.
Jun 12th 2007, 12:55 am
#19
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,474
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
I see them all the time ...
1) The people who have no idea how to use a roundabout ..... They get halfway round and stop for some car comming from a side road :curse:
2) They sit in the middle lane when there are 3 lanes each way not even thinking about the vehicle in the right lane that wants to pull out and pass a slower vehicle, they don't move over, they just sit there and hold everyone up.
1) The people who have no idea how to use a roundabout ..... They get halfway round and stop for some car comming from a side road :curse:
2) They sit in the middle lane when there are 3 lanes each way not even thinking about the vehicle in the right lane that wants to pull out and pass a slower vehicle, they don't move over, they just sit there and hold everyone up.
3) They slow down when they see a cop on the shoulder who is out of his car and giving someone else a ticket :curse::curse: .... FFS ! do they think he is gonna let that person go and chase them instead ? .... He isn;'t even in his car and has no idea how fast they are driving !
4) People who ignore 'Stop here on red' signs :curse: They pull right upto the intersection and in most cases prevent a truck from making the turn ... I just drive right up to them and make them back up .... IDIOTS
In England if you so much as put your wheel over that line you get a ticket for running a red light !
In England if you so much as put your wheel over that line you get a ticket for running a red light !
I don't think driver's in the US are any worse than in other North American countries, i.e. Canada. I've never driven in Europe, only used mass transit there. But I see the same bloody behavior from Canadians when I'm in Canada with hubby and the in-laws.
Why are drivers such poor drivers? Lots of reasons, i.e. inability to read English, inability to operate vehicles properly, a selfish and/or mucho attitude behind the wheel of a car, inattention, police unwilling to issue tickets, etc.
Last edited by Rete; Jun 12th 2007 at 1:05 am.
Jun 12th 2007, 12:57 am
#20
MODERATOR
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Hong Kong, mostly.
Posts: 5,214
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
3) They slow down when they see a cop on the shoulder who is out of his car and giving someone else a ticket :curse::curse: .... FFS ! do they think he is gonna let that person go and chase them instead ? .... He isn;'t even in his car and has no idea how fast they are driving !
And quite frankly, on more than one occasion I've seen a cop 'stop' writing a ticket and go off and find someone else doing something much worse. It's even happened to me (I was pulled over for a taillight--just a warning citation) and the cop just left without giving me the citation.
Jun 12th 2007, 1:02 am
#21
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,474
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
Same here, Cindy. Both my girls were required, by me, to take professional lessons before I would take them on the road to extend their driving experience hours.
I had driver's ed in high school and the road test was not a picnic. You had to drive on a city street with heavy traffic, merge, change lanes, make left and right hand turns, demonstrate how to use hand signals in case your car's signals were out, parallel park a car, make a full U turn and a broken U turn (today called a K turn).
The written test was not computerized. You were not allowed to look up the answers or talk to anyone else in the room. If you did, you failed automatically.
In fact, when I taught my girls to drive after their 3 or 5 professional lessons, they were also taught to change a tire, check their oil, replace a fan belt and jump start their cars.
Jun 12th 2007, 1:03 am
#23
Re vera, potas bene.
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Cape Cod MA..Davenport FL
Posts: 2,405
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
We have roundabouts....they are a nightmare..
I don't really find the drivers here that bad..I hate it when people do 28 miles an hour on route 28...and not the 35 /40 miles an hour that it is...and people pulling out in front of you when there is no traffic behind you...
The biggest problem around here is old people not stopping at stop signs...but seeing as we have people driving here from many states all summer..I find it easier to get from A to B here in one piece than I did in Southampton and Portsmouth....
I don't really find the drivers here that bad..I hate it when people do 28 miles an hour on route 28...and not the 35 /40 miles an hour that it is...and people pulling out in front of you when there is no traffic behind you...
The biggest problem around here is old people not stopping at stop signs...but seeing as we have people driving here from many states all summer..I find it easier to get from A to B here in one piece than I did in Southampton and Portsmouth....
Jun 12th 2007, 1:06 am
#24
Unmitigated Gall
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: it's still too dark to tell
Posts: 16,162
Jun 12th 2007, 1:20 am
#26
Unmitigated Gall
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: it's still too dark to tell
Posts: 16,162
Jun 12th 2007, 1:27 am
#27
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 743
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
More relaxed and they're dead
Jun 12th 2007, 1:37 am
#30
Account Closed
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 8,266
Re: Why can't Americans drive ?
They are just starting to install roundabouts and traffic circles in MO. A good friend of mine is the City Administrator of a town near where I live. There is a deal in progress to bring a giant retailer to the town and the road infrastructure near the location is being redesigned by the MO Dept of Transportation to handle the expected increase in traffic. They are looking at traffic circles (single lane roundabouts) as an option. This will involve giant tractors, combines and other farm equipment, tractor trailers, personal vehicles and Amish buggies all going around this circle thing. I've started calling it the "Meat Grinder" plan, to the consternation of my friend.
