Driving in the US

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to drive. Not only do I love to drive, but I’m a darn good driver (though I fear now that I’ve said this out loud, err, written it, I’m jinxing myself and setting myself up for something bad, but let’s hope not). I take pride in the fact that I drive exactly like my father, who taught me to drive, but just less aggressively and possibly faster! That said, I know all the driving rules out there and follow them to a ‘t’, minus those pesky speed limit rules, because rules are made to keep us safe and I think that driving at 75, 80 or 85 mph is perfectly safe! ;)

I’m so happy to be back in the Bay Area, with like minded drivers, but having spent time and driving in Chicago, DC and Arizona over the last couple of years, I’m amazed by just how bad the driving in those places is! So bad and amusing, that I’ve opted to write an entire blog entry dedicated to the topic.

Chicago drivers aren’t bad drivers, but they are rather aggressive. Now, I’m a driver who can find a way to merge where-ever necessary, but these guys put me to shame! The concept of merging is simply lost in Chicago, where people don’t let you in, period. You might have the right of way, but no-one plays by that rule! Most of the time you have to close your eyes while driving (now, don’t *actually* do this or anything…) and hope that everything turns out alright. Also, Chicago, what’s up with the unpredictable traffic? Yes, we have traffic in the Bay Area and the rest of the country, but it generally adheres to the rules of rush hour, where-as in Chicago, traffic can spontaneously erupt on any given day and at any given time and make planning (yes, I’m a planner…) very difficult.

Arizona drivers are a special bunch. While there were many things I appreciated about driving in Arizona, such as being able to get on the freeway and drive at upwards of 85 mph (without the fear of a speeding ticket) or having several signs posted to warn me of an upcoming speed camera, the city drivers don’t actually seem to comprehend rules. I was there during the summer, aka scary rainstorm season, when power and stop lights seem to get knocked out far too often. Normally, when you come to an intersection, and the stop light isn’t working, you are supposed to treat it as a four-way stop. In case you don’t know, that an honest to G-d rule. So when I came to a light that was clearly knocked out, I stopped, only to be met with people behind me honking furiously, thinking I had stopped simply for the thrill of it! There were also the cases where I would stop and have to inch out into the intersection rather carefully because other drivers, well, simply didn’t. Nevermind the fact that with the evening downpours, people would still drive like maniacs down the roads (not safe, hence, not ok!).

And now we come to DC. Where-as Arizona drivers seem to not know the rules, DC drivers seem to have a few rules mixed up. For instance, a yield sign means that one should drive carefully and keep an eye out for other cars, but really does not mean “Come to a full stop and wait until there are no cars within a one mile radius before going!” However, a red stop light (as well as a stop sign), do actually mean Stop! In case you’re curious, a yellow light most certainly does not mean speed up, nor does a red light translate into ‘if you can speed up and get through the light in the next few seconds (which can be 5 seconds at times!!!), please go on ahead’. Oh one more lesson for DC area drivers: a double yellow solid line in the middle of the road does not mean ‘feel free to U-turn’, in fact, it means the exact opposite! And funnily enough, for the number of cops that are out there patrolling the highways for people “dangerously” speeding over the 55mph limit (trust me, it’s as painful as it sounds!), I didn’t see a single person get pulled over for breaking the red light or stop or u-turn rules!

And now we come to the lovely Bay Area, home of the ‘California’ stop and crazy speeding drivers! Ahh, how I’ve missed you all! This is refreshing because people actually follow rules here! A red light, magically does mean stop here! A stop means, well, actually, a stop here means come to a leisurely stop and keep rolling through, but really, compared to the rest of the country, this is something I can put up with! Yay for the Bay Area where people drive fast and follow most rules! Yet another reason for me to have greatly missed the Bay Area and be so happy to be back!