driving in California/California drivers, the end of the myth : a French driver's experience (rent)

[the one]

great suggestions everyone. just let them fly by! because as LHND said they really aint getting anywhere faster. you still catch them at the next light. and if not they only cut a couple minutes time of their commute.

i ask the same question: Is a couple more minutes really worth more than your own life? what about someone elses. these big machines we drive are not lil tonka trucks, they really hurt people. dont be reckless, be courteous.

[Cubancoffee]

Just to add my $.02. I've lived in L.A., Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta in the last couple of decades and California drivers are by far the easiest to share the road with. Speeding? Tailgating? You'd be shocked, shocked to know they're common across the U.S. Sorry we disappointed you, but thanks for visiting.

[PecanPie]

I just want to know where the OP heard the "myth" that drivers in CA are cool and collected, good drivers. I thought everyone knew that we are not? Speeding, tailgating, cutting others off, driving in the right lane/shoulder as long as possible to get ahead of what, 3-5 cars? All true. People driving 50 in the fast lane, and 80 in the right lane? Yup, every day, all day. Aggressive and competitive? OH YEAH.

Thing is, I guess I thought everyone knew that. Laid back, easy going in life? Maybe. Then we take all that pent up aggression onto the highways -- who can blame us, when 20 minute trips take 1 1/2 hours?

As others have said, driving here is a competitive sport; everyone wants to be somewhere else and the prize is getting there 5 minutes faster.

[HotFudge]

I remember being so scared of drivers in Paris, but then... I was a tourist and maybe the whole foreign factor kicked in and it really wasn't too bad.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by PecanPie

People driving 50 in the fast lane, and 80 in the right lane? Yup, every day, all day. Aggressive and competitive? OH YEAH.

Just for the record, although I abhor the usual California driving style, the reason people are driving 80 in the right lane is precisely because people are driving 50 in the fast lane. One problem is that slow drivers take it as their God given right to drive any speed they please, even in the fast lane, and other impatient drivers just go around them, and get p***ed.

[CESpeed]

Originally Posted by the one

great suggestions everyone. just let them fly by! because as LHND said they really aint getting anywhere faster. you still catch them at the next light. and if not they only cut a couple minutes time of their commute.

i ask the same question: Is a couple more minutes really worth more than your own life? what about someone elses. these big machines we drive are not lil tonka trucks, they really hurt people. dont be reckless, be courteous.

It's not about getting there ahead of everyone else. When I go around a driver I'm trying to get away from a who doesn't know how to drive. More often than not, that person is on a cell phone. I also get away from people who have no where to go, don't care what time they get there and think that they should get in the way of those of us who have somewhere to go.

[gildossantos]

Originally Posted by PecanPie

I just want to know where the OP heard the "myth" that drivers in CA are cool and collected, good drivers. I thought everyone knew that we are not? Speeding, tailgating, cutting others off, driving in the right lane/shoulder as long as possible to get ahead of what, 3-5 cars? All true. People driving 50 in the fast lane, and 80 in the right lane? Yup, every day, all day. Aggressive and competitive? OH YEAH.

Thing is, I guess I thought everyone knew that. Laid back, easy going in life? Maybe. Then we take all that pent up aggression onto the highways -- who can blame us, when 20 minute trips take 1 1/2 hours?

As others have said, driving here is a competitive sport; everyone wants to be somewhere else and the prize is getting there 5 minutes faster.

Well I don't know but in France there is this myth about the USA. That you guys in America are more "civilized" than us in France, are more relax corteous, do not have dangerous irresponsible behaviors on the roads such as the French drivers.

When I came back to France after my vacation time in California, I told myself "ok you got the impression that agressive and dangerous driving habits were the rule in California roads but that might had been an emotional reaction so let's try to be rational and seek for objective evidence".

So I searched on the internet highway fatalities statistics for California, the other states, an the US at large. It made me found the site you quote in your reply and the statistics you mention and the conclusion is the following, : California is below the US average regarding road fatalities statistics. It is all the more remarkable as there is much more traffic in California than in, for instance, rural low populated Wyoming, the worst in US for traffic fatalities rate with 33 fatalities rate per 100k population.

But as a foreigner (I mean non American), I also sought for international comparisons and then I'd suggest to have a look at this article from a well known american newspaper :

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/au...yt&oref=slogin

some comments :

- Compared with the other western developped countries, USA was the country with the lowest highway fatality rates until the 90s.
- France was the worst with Japan
- but as the article says it is no longer true. The reason : tougher laws in Europe I guess and automated enforcement (an automatic speed camera can catch all the drivers speeding and send the fine by mail, a highway patrolman can pull over only one car, write the ticket). I know that lots of people will argue "big brother, freedom, blablabla" but the truth is now most people here do the speed limits and the death toll of driving has dramatically decreased. I feel safer on the roads now and as my son is going to be born on august, I feel safer for him too.

Besides, I guess that in France there is the idea that the country (the US) and more precisely the State (California) of the car culture is also the country of the road safety culture and the peacefull driving habits culture. example : I have a tourist video of Los Angeles with of course a part dedicated to the freeways the cars in LA. It is said "the speed limits on Los Angeles freeways are strictly respected by all the drivers. Don't speed or you will be for sure pulled over by the tough highway patrol". Video dating back to 1992.

[SandyCo]

There may be less fatalities in California because there's too much traffic in the major cities for anyone to go at a speed great enough to be result in death if there's a crash! Just my speculation.

For the most part, drivers in the U.S. aren't as scary as those in other countries. I went to Brazil when I was nine years old, and still have a vivid memory of the traffic taking over the entire street, so that the oncoming traffic, which included buses, trucks, etc., was all driving on the sidewalk!!!

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by gildossantos

Well I don't know but in France there is this myth about the USA. That you guys in America are more "civilized" than us in France, are more relax corteous, do not have dangerous irresponsible behaviors on the roads such as the French drivers.

If anything, I would say exactly the opposite, although I haven't driven in France and so can't compare the two.

A certain fairly large segment of Los Angeles drivers are aggressive, rude, impatient and in way too much of a hurry. They cut in and out of traffic, break the speed limits, tailgate, cut you off, illegally pass in the right lane, sometimes illegally pass in the two-way turn lane (center median), run just turned red lights, make illegal turns, all of this to get there sooner, to get ahead of the other drivers, to get a more favorable position at the next red light.

The anonymity of the big city encourages this. Be rude in a small town and in a short time everybody knows who you are and what you are. Be rude in the big city and you'll probably never see that other driver ever again. Go ahead and cut him off and flip him the finger. Screw everybody, you're going to get to your destination sooner.

I often hope their destination is a big, flaming single car crash and a speedy trip to the biblical place of eternal punishment.

[Hungry For Cheese]

Frenchie got it right...no need to sugarcoat it or pretend he is some crazy visitor. I deal with pretty much ALL of this everyday and it pisses me off. What makes me even madder is when I see a "Viva Bueno" or some other spanish radio station, or some pasia looking person, because of course I think "illegal" and what a better place we'd be in w/o all these people.