the problem with american "drivers" (21)
Hi visitor.
You probably don't know how to drive, and that's OK. This is your nature as an American. 52 to 70 percent of Americans live in suburbs, and in my estimation, about 90 to 95 percent of them have no idea how to drive. Whenever I'm driving back home or to the grocery store, it astounds me how these people passed a "driving test" and got a "license" in this country. There are a few very simple reasons why no one can drive, and I'll list them below.
The first reason is that American roads are a complete joke. Have you ever seen the skill and finesse of drivers in other countries? I went to France and Italy when I was young, before I could drive. The drivers there are mind-blowingly skilled. They can handle roundabouts with 80 cars and 0 traffic lights with this unreal ease. It's not because they're smarter or harder workers. It's because their roads actually require a bare minimum of a moderate skill level.
Pictured: A typical highway in America.
The highway above is literally a flat, featureless, long piece of road with no sharp turns and no pedestrians. American drivers live their entire lives only driving on these roads. There is little consequence to driving poorly on a road like this, and you can drive on these roads with 0 experience or skill. A person that only drives on roads like this could literally be on their phone while driving all the time and face 0 risk.
Pictured: The roads in Istanbul looked similar to this.
The European road above requires a much higher awareness of the size of your car and your skill. Sharp turns, pedestrians, and cobblestone roads require attention and practice. There is a real chance of getting stuck, hitting a wall, or hitting a pedestrian. As such, European drivers must adapt. They practice and learn to drive with skill. American drivers do no such thing.
Do you know what a passing lane is? The left-most lane in left-hand drive countries is called a passing lane. What this means is that you should stay to the right if you just want to drive normally, or get in the left and actually accelerate (!!!) if you want to pass a slow driver. In other first-world countries, the passing lane is sacred. You do not go to the left (or the right in RHD countries) if you do not want to pass. Sometimes, this is actually enforced by the law.
In America, however, you can sit on your ass in the left lane and go 40 below. No one will stop you. People can try and tailgate you, but if they actually hit you, your insurance will sue them and take their money. Now, what this does to the American mind, is that people begin to see the left lane as a status symbol. They stay in the "fast lane" because it makes them feel more powerful. If they get hit, it's on the other driver, so why bother being in the stupid right lane anyway? The police don't ticket people for not passing in the passing lane, either, so I doubt this problem will be fixed anytime soon.
Pictured: The thing at the end of the red arrow is called a "passing lane".
Another reason that American drivers are skill-free is that they have never experienced a manual transmission. Stick shifts are usually reserved either for people that don't have money for new cars or "car guys" that like driving manuals. As such, people don't really have any idea how a car works in general. I had a friend that needed a jumpstart, but was shocked to learn that his gas car has a battery inside it. Classic America.
All of these things combined make a horrible driver. Take an American named Alex. Alex has an automatic Honda civic and lives in New Jersey. Alex has never seen a single person pass in the passing lane before. He has never driven a manual transmission car, and has only made a sharp turn 2 times before. He sits in the "left lane" going 55, because that's what all his friends do. When he's in a rush or just wants to drive fast, he has 0 control of the car and is a complete hazard to anyone else on the road. Alex is the average New Jersey driver, and it's sad to see.
You probably want to learn how to drive now. You should rent a manual car, watch some YouTube videos, or travel abroad and drive there. Then, report back to me on how annoying you find other drivers. If enough people do this, eventually we can save New Jersey. Then, we can tackle the absolute nightmare that is Philadelphia. Goodbye!
Learn to drive,
Ayaan