NFL player runs over and kills Miami pedestrian (Surfside, North Beach: school, taxi)

[Lost in Translation]

Originally Posted by Cougar Beach

One uniquely weird thing about Florida (thanks, Jeb) is that cars aren't inspected. That leads to cars broken down all over, on the side of the road. I-95, between Miami and West Palm Beach, is typically like junkyard of broken-down cars.

I would add road debris to your list. I've never seen so many mattresses, desks, chairs and other unidentified objects randomly scattered on the Palmetto, I-95, etc. They lay there for days, because to stop, get out of your car and move them out of the way would be suicide.

Your remark on the urban-culture thing also makes sense to me. Maybe Miami drivers appear to be more crazy because there is more room to move? I was actually a pretty aggressive driver when I lived in Chicago, like everyone else there, but I was also travelling at 5 miles per hour most of the time.

[EnjoyTheSilence]

Originally Posted by HopToIt

Same for me. If the driving/people werent so bad here in Orlando too (not all obviously), I could take the heat and humidity. Orlando is actually a good location. I am 45 minutes to beach and all, and cant get up to the FL/GA coast in a few hrs, so I can get out of FL and up to other states rather easily, as opposed to living in Miami and it taking 7 hrs just to get out of FL.

But the people (and those people who drive) make it exausting to live here at times. Even if I and my wife could take it, I dont want my daughter driving here when she's old enough.

I've been to Orlando and will admit that it's *almost* as bad as Miami, in the sense of reckless drivers. I-4 is crazy, at best.

If I had teenage children, I don't think I'd be happy with them driving here alone either. This place is far too dangerous....drivers genuinely kill and it has to be stopped.

[EnjoyTheSilence]

Originally Posted by Cougar Beach

It's an urban cultural thing -- I'm not talking about hip-hop, ethnicity, etc. It doesn't make much sense to compare urban greater Miami with random towns in North Carolina. Compare it to NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc.

The two places in which I've had the most experience driving, Miami and Boston, are on a par. It might be a bit ruder there, because roads are even more crowed, but it's probably a little safer, since people aren't driving as fast when they run into each other (because the roads are so crowded).

One uniquely weird thing about Florida (thanks, Jeb) is that cars aren't inspected. That leads to cars broken down all over, on the side of the road. I-95, between Miami and West Palm Beach, is typically like junkyard of broken-down cars.

I've driven in Boston too and while it wasn't the greatest experience, I still felt a lot safer on the highways & narrow-ass streets than I do here. While I saw a lot of speeding in Boston, I didn't see the same level of genuinely reckless driving, nor did I see the sheer driving stupidity that I see in Miami every day.

If I had to choose between driving in Boston and driving in Miami, I'd take driving in Boston every time, even if the actual traffic itself is worse.

[Cougar Beach]

Originally Posted by BCreass

I've driven in Boston too and while it wasn't the greatest experience, I still felt a lot safer on the highways & narrow-ass streets than I do here. While I saw a lot of speeding in Boston, I didn't see the same level of genuinely reckless driving, nor did I see the sheer driving stupidity that I see in Miami every day.

If I had to choose between driving in Boston and driving in Miami, I'd take driving in Boston every time, even if the actual traffic itself is worse.

I don't know if things have gotten better in Boston lately, but I'd put them on a par. The secret to merging in Boston is to not look at the other driver; if he thinks you don't see him, then he has to yield to you. The other secret is to drive a car that you obviously don't car if it gets banged up. In Boston, driving is a game of intimidation, like it is in Paris.

And then there are the double parkers. People will be driving along in the left lane, and they'll just stop and get out of their car. Apparently they think putting on their flashers makes it all okay. At least that doesn't happen very often in downtown Miami.

In Boston, expect to be cut off every ten seconds. It's on a par with Miami, but a bit worse. I only recall one time seeing someone driving like a nut job get pulled over. The bad driving continues all the way out to I-495.

I'd say both Boston and Miami suck royally as places to drive.

[dadeguy]

I've lived in boston and other parts of massachusetts, miami is a far easier place to drive in.

[rogerbacon]

Originally Posted by Cougar Beach

The secret to merging in Boston is to not look at the other driver; if he thinks you don't see him, then he has to yield to you.

I actually had a girlfriend in Miami tell me that's EXACTLY how she merges. Then she proceded to show me. That was around 1988. It was an eye-opener for me.

[cuba libre]

Originally Posted by rogerbacon

I actually had a girlfriend in Miami tell me that's EXACTLY how she merges. Then she proceded to show me. That was around 1988. It was an eye-opener for me.

Man, you've been around for a while, baconator!

[Cougar Beach]

Originally Posted by rogerbacon

I actually had a girlfriend in Miami tell me that's EXACTLY how she merges. Then she proceded to show me. That was around 1988. It was an eye-opener for me.

Miami steals all the good ideas.

[EnjoyTheSilence]

Originally Posted by Cougar Beach

Miami steals all the good ideas.

I don't get the comparisons of Boston/Miami drivers. I've driven in Boston twice and while I found drivers pretty aggressive, I didn't see anywhere near the level of sheer stupidity and recklessness that I see here in Miami on a daily basis. Not only did I drive in Boston itself, but I drove up to Lynn, Salem and also to Cape Cod...nothing like the hell known as driving in South Florida. Heck, I-95 in MA is far safer than I-95 here LOL!

[Cougar Beach]

Originally Posted by BCreass

I don't get the comparisons of Boston/Miami drivers. I've driven in Boston twice and while I found drivers pretty aggressive, I didn't see anywhere near the level of sheer stupidity and recklessness that I see here in Miami on a daily basis. Not only did I drive in Boston itself, but I drove up to Lynn, Salem and also to Cape Cod...nothing like the hell known as driving in South Florida. Heck, I-95 in MA is far safer than I-95 here LOL!

I lived between Lynn and Salem for ten years, not far from witch trial central.

I think one difference is that, if the highway is pretty empty, people drive fairly sanely in the Boston area. You don't tend to get people driving 120 up I-93. In the clutch, when there's a lot of traffic, they go off the deep end. Or at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, when all the bars close at the same time and everyone jumps in the car for the ride out to the burbs. That's a deadly time to be on the highway around Boston.

In Miami, people always drive crazy. If there's not much traffic, I-95 is like the Indy 500. There is no let-up.