TRANSPLANTS! Do you think Pittsburgh drivers are extra timid in the rain? (King of Prussia: live, law)

[TechieTransplant]

So as a transplant myself, I enjoyed reading many of your comments regarding traffic/area drivers in our area. On this rainy morning, I have to know, for those of you new to our area, do you think people drive more timid here in the rain than what you've experienced?

[KingKrab]

You're from where, N.E. Pa? A population of what?

People in Philly drive horribly when it rains. It took me 2 hours one day to get from Center city to King of Prussia because of rain. Same with many other major metros I have lived.

Bigger the metro, more cars, more slower traffic goes. Next thread.

[SteelCityRising]

Obviously as someone who has been hit thrice during the course of the past six weeks I have a very negative view of the drivers here. Not only don't they pay attention to their surroundings as they stop at yield signs, yield at stop signs, obliviously cruise through red lights, "demand" the Pittsburgh Left, etc. but they also more often than not drive much slower here than they do in many other comparably-sized metropolitan areas.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Cars are a weird thing. If a person chooses to exercise caution when operating a 2+ ton machine at high speeds under adverse conditions they are criticized.

I wonder if a crane operator is berated for being extra cautious when operating their machine under adverse conditions.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Obviously as someone who has been hit thrice during the course of the past six weeks I have a very negative view of the drivers here. Not only don't they pay attention to their surroundings as they stop at yield signs, yield at stop signs, obliviously cruise through red lights, "demand" the Pittsburgh Left, etc. but they also more often than not drive much slower here than they do in many other comparably-sized metropolitan areas.

I agree with all of this, but the argument here is that drivers are more timid and overly cautious during rain. In my experience the whole "timid Pittsburgh driver" stereotype went out the window years ago with the exception of a small number older folks. If anything the city is aggressive as Hell when it comes to driving.

[Geeo]

The worst I've ever seen was the Bay Area and Florida. In San Jose, they treat rain like snow and slow down to a crawl. People were slipping and sliding all over the place trying to come to a stop. It's like they were mis-judging the stopping distance.

But people should really slow down in rainy weather. Visibility gets bad from the spray from the cars (especially on expressways) and hydroplaning is a real danger. Yet some people continue to fly by at 70 or 75 MPH - an accident waiting to happen.

[KingKrab]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Obviously as someone who has been hit thrice during the course of the past six weeks I have a very negative view of the drivers here. Not only don't they pay attention to their surroundings as they stop at yield signs, yield at stop signs, obliviously cruise through red lights, "demand" the Pittsburgh Left, etc. but they also more often than not drive much slower here than they do in many other comparably-sized metropolitan areas.

I drove in Pittsburgh for over 10 years and never got hit. You have to be aggressive and defensive. The Pittsburgh infrastructure requires a different set of skills when driving.

A Pittsburgh left is a given. The person at the intersection better have the common courtesy to let the person turning go. Otherwise traffic will be backed up in that lane for the whole time. Might as well learn something called common courtesy and let a person hurry up and go ahead of you. It won't kill you.

We are all well aware of your personal issues. Trust me, we know EVERYTHING.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by KingKrab

You're from where, N.E. Pa? A population of what?

People in Philly drive horribly when it rains. It took me 2 hours one day to get from Center city to King of Prussia because of rain. Same with many other major metros I have lived.

Bigger the metro, more cars, more slower traffic goes. Next thread.

I am from a town called North East, PA, not north eastern PA.

[hnsq]

I find the majority of drivers in Pittsburgh to be extremely timid. People slow to a crawl when it rains/snows/there is a tunnel/etc. People in the city have no clue how wide their cars are, and simply come to a stop instead of going around someone waiting to turn left at a light (as one example). Drivers also have an awful habit of cruising in the left hand lane on highways, instead of using it to pass only. Finally, after four years in this city I still can't believe how many times someone simply stops in the middle of the road to let someone out of a side road in front of them. Pittsburgh drivers are WAY too timid, in my opinion.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say people advocating things like the Pittsburgh Left, driving fast, and not being cautious in adverse conditions are the ones who are driving like maniacs and breaking every law in the book. Just a hunch.