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We're looking to buy a Hummer or Volvo SUV to protect ourselves on the road - we live in Charleston, SC now and the driving here is horrific. Bad accidents (oh sorry - "wrecks") daily. Lots of fatal accidents. We recently were rear-ended in a chain reaction accident by two cars with drivers paying more attention to their phones than what was going on in front of them.
I absolutely agree with the person who said lack of enforcement is one of the reasons for all the accidents. I'm from Boston and there were cops on the road everywhere. You did something wrong, you got pulled over and ticketed and your insurance went up. Not so here. I never see patrols on the side of the road. I've never seen so many accidents in my entire driving life as I have here. Evidenced by the personal attorney ads on TV. From 6pm when I get home until 9pm there have to be 10+ PA ads. Never saw those back home. It's not big business like it is here.
Bad drivers are everywhere. Enforcement and consequences will lessen it greatly. So would auto-braking standard in all cars. So would traffic cameras.
Since we've been considering a possible move to the Chapel Hill area, disappointed to see it's not better there....
I absolutely agree with the person who said lack of enforcement is one of the reasons for all the accidents. I'm from Boston and there were cops on the road everywhere. You did something wrong, you got pulled over and ticketed and your insurance went up.
As long as you keep the phone in your pocket (even at red lights), stay 2-3 car lengths back, USE YOUR SIGNALS, and only use the left lane to pass, you will be fine out there. I really haven't noticed any real aggression, but then again, I try not to be in the way.
The problem is most people don't keep their phone in their pocket (even when driving), don't stay 2-3 car lengths back (not even 1), don't use their signals, don't use just the left lane to pass and think nothing of cutting people off (oh - there's my exit? I was too busy texting to notice it. I'll just cut across 3 lanes of traffic to get to it - Sorry dude that I made you run off the road).
And good defensive driving skills are useless when you are a sitting duck at a red light or stopped in traffic. Being rear-ended by a distracted driver (who is usually texting) is especially dangerous since your car is not moving, they usually don't brake, and there's no way to escape even if you see them coming.
It's no wonder people like cities that have public transit. If I never had to drive again I wouldn't just be OK with that, I'd be happy about it. You take your life in your hands (literally) every time you get on the road.
Conflicting statements. As others have mentioned, I’ve been cursed out by people with “southern†accents, and many of my neighbors are from NY, NJ, TX, PA and they comment on the state of driving in this area. Many people in SoCal don’t have insurance (or a license or a green card for that matter), so they have to drive decently to avoid getting stopped or in an accident. Others don’t want their already high insurance rates to go up. Maybe people around here have gotten too comfortable with breaking traffic rules (or completely disrespecting other drivers) and they need a wake up. And don’t get me started on the blatant cell phone use while driving.... Once the cops start getting tough and consistent with enforcing laws, aggressive driving should decrease regardless of where the drivers are from.
No, they're not. I'm suggesting everyone (native and transplant) could meld together their styles of driving easier if the flow of new people to the area was a bit more of a stream instead of a river.
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As long as you keep the phone in your pocket (even at red lights), stay 2-3 car lengths back, USE YOUR SIGNALS, and only use the left lane to pass, you will be fine out there. I really haven't noticed any real aggression, but then again, I try not to be in the way.
My phone is rarely in my pocket. Too large. I do have a place in my car where the phone fits and I can charge it, so that's where it goes. It's hard to stay 2-3 car lengths back in heavy traffic that's at a near standstill, but I see people try it pretty often. Which is amusing. I do agree that people should not tailgate, though. That's really dangerous. If you are in traffic that's moving at any decent rate of speed, you need to keep more than a car length between yourself and the car in front of you. In traffic that is pretty much standing still, you should never be so close that you cannot see the bumper of the car in front of you.
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. I'm from Boston and there were cops on the road everywhere. You did something wrong, you got pulled over and ticketed and your insurance went up. Not so here. I never see patrols on the side of the road. I've never seen so many accidents in my entire driving life as I have here. Evidenced by the personal attorney ads on TV. From 6pm when I get home until 9pm there have to be 10+ PA ads. Never saw those back home. It's not big business like it is here.
By "Boston" do you mean Maine?
I grew up on the south shore and I'll take NC drivers any day of the week. And twice on Sunday.
When you take the real data, accidents (per capita) are on par with each other. In other words, North Carolina isn't a NASCAR race every day of the week.
… the driving here is horrific. Bad accidents .. daily. Lots of fatal accidents. …
I absolutely agree with the person who said lack of enforcement is one of the reasons for all the accidents….. I never see patrols on the side of the road. I've never seen so many accidents in my entire driving life as I have here. Evidenced by the personal attorney ads on TV.
Same here
Quote:
Originally Posted by m378
It's difficult not to tailgate in heavy traffic. If you leave space, someone will jam in and take it. Back off, rinse, repeat.
Just a symptom of higher volume. It's less common to see people tailgating in lower volume situations.
I agree, and it becomes a bit of herd mentality doing it because everyone else is and no one else is allowing you to maintain a safe distance, something about which I am extremely vigilant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoSox 15
In other words, North Carolina isn't a NASCAR race every day of the week.
Er, not in my experience. The area has the NASCAR reputation for a reason, unfortunately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by macalan
The problem is most people don't keep their phone in their pocket (even when driving), don't stay 2-3 car lengths back (not even 1), don't use their signals, don't use just the left lane to pass and think nothing of cutting people off (oh - there's my exit? I was too busy texting to notice it. I'll just cut across 3 lanes of traffic to get to it - Sorry dude that I made you run off the road).
And good defensive driving skills are useless when you are a sitting duck at a red light or stopped in traffic. Being rear-ended by a distracted driver (who is usually texting) is especially dangerous since your car is not moving, they usually don't brake, and there's no way to escape even if you see them coming.
It's no wonder people like cities that have public transit. If I never had to drive again I wouldn't just be OK with that, I'd be happy about it. You take your life in your hands (literally) every time you get on the road.
I have to agree with everything in this post. And I would like nothing more than not having to drive to get to work.
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