People in Bay Area don't know to drive (Santa Clara: live, dangerous)

[HEKTO]

Typical Bay Area driving:

- going in the left lane slower then most of the traffic
- not using turn signals

Unfortunately CHP not really after people that don't know how to drive, they just getting more money for the county budgets from speeding tickets

[bmw335xi]

I agree a lot of people in the Bay Area love to drive slowly in the "fast lane". I also notice most drivers with "Baby on Board" decals think that gives them the ability to drive extra slowly in the fast lanes and people around them will make an exception for them lol. With that being said, I would rather be surrounded by slow passive drivers, than fast aggressive drivers.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by HEKTO

Typical Bay Area driving:

- going in the left lane slower then most of the traffic
- not using turn signals

Unfortunately CHP not really after people that don't know how to drive, they just getting more money for the county budgets from speeding tickets

Hardly anyone anywhere in the US uses turn signals anymore. I wish cops would cite people for not using them. Here in NM, nobody goes slow in the left lane. To the contrary, everyone speeds in all the lanes.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

The Bay Area has a huge population of immigrants who didn't drive before they got here, and some who drove somewhere with crazy driving conditions before they got here.

It's like driving with 90% of the drivers being very aggressive 16 year old drivers.

I met a young man from China who told me that in China, if a driver hits a pedestrian, they actually back up and drive over the pedestrian deliberately, to kill them, because it is cheaper for them to pay for a dead pedestrian than for someone who lived (medical bills).

I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed, in Santa Clara, an Indian woman completely stopping traffic who decided to just stop in the middle of the road, while she figured out where she wanted to go.

The rules are different in other countries, and many of our population includes people from other countries. It's bound to cause problems.

[mrazyattic]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

The Bay Area has a huge population of immigrants who didn't drive before they got here, and some who drove somewhere with crazy driving conditions before they got here.

It's like driving with 90% of the drivers being very aggressive 16 year old drivers.

I met a young man from China who told me that in China, if a driver hits a pedestrian, they actually back up and drive over the pedestrian deliberately, to kill them, because it is cheaper for them to pay for a dead pedestrian than for someone who lived (medical bills).

I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed, in Santa Clara, an Indian woman completely stopping traffic who decided to just stop in the middle of the road, while she figured out where she wanted to go.

The rules are different in other countries, and many of our population includes people from other countries. It's bound to cause problems.

So..... You're basically saying that Asian and Indian immigrants can't drive, while trying to stay politically correct?

My wife is Asian, and we both would totally agree with you

(please guys this was all in good fun. I am married to a beautiful Asian woman, so it would be kind of hard to be racist. I am just stating our opinion, which I believe to be 100% truth)

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by mrazyattic

So..... You're basically saying that Asian and Indian immigrants can't drive, while trying to stay politically correct?

My wife is Asian, and we both would totally agree with you

(please guys this was all in good fun. I am married to a beautiful Asian woman, so it would be kind of hard to be racist. I am just stating our opinion, which I believe to be 100% truth)

Well, anyone who moved here from another country, where it's kind of a free-for-all, would qualify. This would include Mexico.

Also, I mean to say that where any population is heavily dominated by "new" drivers, whether they be native born Americans or not, there will be a lot of new driver problems.

Plus, we need to take into consideration the culture where these new drivers come from. Is the predominant law/belief that drivers must/should be aggressive? A lot of countries outside the US do think so.

Or, of a person's homeland basically has no driving laws, so you can legally stop in the middle of the road while you consult your map...that person will be a hazard in the US.

I'm not saying people from other cultures are evil. But, their driving laws or traditions may not be anywhere near ours.

I worked with a brilliant Indian woman in Santa Clara. She told me neither her nor her husband drove at all before they came to CA. She said their van had a lot of dents in it, because of her driving skills and they thought it rather funny. Her husband was a brilliant IT guy, and she was an immigration specialist.

Just sayin...

Different cultures, different laws, and most of the citizens in the SF Bay Area are from non-native-English-speaking households.

Hence, way more crazy drivers (according to our CA standards).

[3rdGen SFan]

"People in Bay Area don't know to drive"

I'm sure a lot of them know how to drive, many just selfishly choose not to follow the traffic laws.

[ondys]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

The Bay Area has a huge population of immigrants who didn't drive before they got here, and some who drove somewhere with crazy driving conditions before they got here.

You certainly have a point here and to be politically incorrect I try to avoid Indian ladies driving cars as much as I can.

But honestly what drives me crazy the most is the lack of use of turn signals even on very busy expressways/freeways. I cannot even count the number of times when I almost hit some idiot who suddenly switched lane right in front me without any regard to other traffic. And when I looked at the drivers they, in most cases, looked like native born Americans. I honestly don't understand this behavior..why people don't realize how dangerous it is to switch lanes on a busy freeway without using turn signals? What's funny is that the same people often use the turn signals on right/left turn only lanes where they are completely unnecessary..

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

most of the citizens in the SF Bay Area are from non-native-English-speaking households.

[citation needed]

[rca215]

The left lane thing IS AWFUL! Just no regard for basic highway rules/etiquette.