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And yes, I hate it when anyone doesn't go into the intersection, especially when I'm behind them. Quote:
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They also don't mean anything to right turners most of the time. I was nearly hit by a bus last trip. I was crossing the street, the light was in my favor. The offending bus was in the *LEFT* turn lane and people normally don't make lefts on red there. This guy was making a *RIGHT* turn, though! |
The amber before red is a signal for drivers in Switzerland to re-start their engine. I believe it is the law that motors must be turned off if you are not in the first few cars at the head of the line while waiting at a red light.
Air quality issue. |
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a long time and I've seen general public support this very well. |
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Also, is commplace to use your hazard warning lights to thank such a vehicle who in return flashes their lights to acknowledge your thanks (I think that is what they mean anyway) Sean |
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I have a hard time remembering that I can't make a turn on red when I'm in Belgium though :) |
In Pakistan: Not using lights while driving at night. Which is very helpful considering that people also will walk in the middle of the street at night, even if there is a sidewalk.
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Alberta: legislated rubbernecking.
It's now an offence to drive more than 50 km/hr past emergency vehicles that, while stopped at the side of an undivided highway, have their emergency equipment activiated. Of course, this has just codified the previous popular practice of blocking traffic flow to inspect minor fender-benders, roadkill, and assorted highway detritus slowly from the safety and comfort of one's own car. :p |
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11. Jamming to beat the other driver out in a merge-to-one-lane, creating yet another traffic jam from the ensuing bottleneck. This is why the Big Dig will never work - you can fix the infrastructure all you want but it won't do a thing if the people are vociferously stupid. |
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Sanosuke! |
Midwest top 10 list
I have a few habits that really piss midwesterners off.
1. Driving 75+ in the inside freeway lane. 2. Flashing my brights at those not traveling 75 in the inside lane 3. Blow my horn when someone dosn't take off fast enough when the light changes green 4. The "California creep" 5. Blow my horn when someone moves in front of me that is not traveling as fast as I am 6. Using the right turn lane even though I plan on going straight so I get the holeshot (learned this in CA) 7. Passing on the shoulder 8. Blow my horn as I blow thru a yellow/red light to warn others (also learned this in CA) 9. Slam on my brakes when the person behind me is to close 10. I wave and smile whenever I piss someone else off, this further upsets them (more so than flipping the finger back) (I've been driving for 22 years and have never had an at-fault accident, I've had my fair share of speeding tickets though) :p |
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In Hartford County, Connecticut: left turn signals are employed only after the car turning left has come to a complete stop in the travel lane at the intersection where the car is turning left. Why give any warning to those behind you?
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In Scotland we wave to another driver if he or she gives way to us on a norrow road or if there is traffic calming measures. We also flash our hazard lights if someone lets us in infront of them. Flashing headlights like someone else said can mean a million things in the UK. We also indicate right if we are going round a round about and then left to exit.
In South Dakota it is law that if there is a car stopped on the hard shoulder you must pass it in the fast lane to give more clearance. I suppose it makes the shoulder safer and makes it easier to tell if someone plans to stop. |
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I kid. I do most of those (not the really bad ones---e.g. slamming on brakes when being tailgated or using the shoulder to pass), and these are often a result of bad driving on the part of others that causes slightly more aggressive evasive action. I never have to do these things in Germany, or even Italy, where people actually know how to drive, though at times it may not seem like it. Anyway, back to the OP. The craziest, weirdest, and simultaneously best traffic custom award goes to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Zeichen_282.png |
I find it odd that in most of the US, when I signal a lane change, the driver in the other lane accomodates.
In California, it is great fun to control the speed of other drivers: signal a lane change, they speed up to prevent it. Passes the time. ;) As to Italy, I agree: they know how to drive. The style there reminds of people exiting from a theater - very free form but orderly at the same time. I like it. I feel I can trust the other drivers on the road much more there. |
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The Michigan right-plus-U-turn equals left took some getting used to, but I grew up in New Jersey, land of the jug-handle, and they amount to the same thing. The Michigan interpretation is more fun, though, because whereas in New Jersey you only have to stop for two red lights to make the left turn, in Michigan you might have to stop for three, depending on swiftness of the drivers ahead of you. Michigan also has its share of freeway exits out of the fast lane, but also has entrances into the fast lane. Lots of fun if you're cruising along at, say, 75, and encounter a semi wanting to merge into your lane doing maybe 35, to say nothing of the hijinks that ensue when said semi tries to move across three lanes to get to the right lane. |
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OT question (well I suppose my whole post is slightly OT). How often do NY drivers have to replace the horn on their cars? |
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Either it might be a NJ driver in New York... or your rental car has an NJ plate. :) Life of the horn depends on how many New Jersey drivers we encounter :) j/k I'm a New York driver and I rarely use the car horn. There are enough people around to do the job for you. |
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Don't think I've seen something similar to that anywhere else in the world! |
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Some of my "favorites"
Pennsylvanians who insist on coming to a complete stop on freeway on-ramps. People who don't pull into an intersection for a left turn at a light that is not a green-arrow light. Sicily -- Use of a turn signal depends on the age of the driver. Younger driver: Left turn signal means I'm turing left. Older driver: Left turn signal means I'm turning right and it's OK to pass me on the left. California -- Their annoying habit of rolling down their window and sticking out their hands to signal you to wait for them to pull out or cut you off. Finally, I wish US cars had rear fog lights like European cars. |
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From my experiences...
Drivers in (and just south of) San Francisco on 101 and 280 seem to think that the left lane is reserved for those desiring to go 10 miles an hour below the speed limit. Merging drivers in Michigan seem incapable of controlling their car speed to arrive at the merge point before or after you (as the driver in the right lane) reach it -- rather, they become belligerent when you don't slow down to accomodate them. (I always try to move over if I can, but it's not always possible.) While not an odd driving custom, I would like to add that I'm consistently impressed with Brazilian drivers. While many are aggressive, they all seem to get along pretty well on the road -- slow pokes move over when someone comes up from behind, multiple cars passing one vehicle almost do so gracefully, drivers make space if you're in the middle of a tight pass, etc. In contrast, on a recent trip to Malaysia, I was floored by the low quality of the drivers, particularly their habit of slowing down to a crawl in the driving lane before making a left turn (rather than using the shoulder.) |
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I do think the "flashing red ultimately changes to a green arrow" that's found in Michigan isn't something that I have seen elsewhere.
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In Florida:
Driving 35 miles on the highway with the left turn signal on. Mostly seen in the..um..."age-challenged" set. Stopping when the light turns red is considered merely optional. It's not at all uncommon to see six cars go through a red light. You'll see one driver stop for the light and the driver behind them whip around and run the light. |
Some of the motorway onramps in Auckland NZ have traffic lights (on the ramp). There used to be an offramp from the fast lane (one of the busiest in the country and caused lots of headaches due to lots of traffic crossing several lanes over from an onramp a couple of miles back) - that has now been fixed. There is a stretch in the central city with on and off ramps every few hundred metres - very messy.
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That said, I haven't found it to be a big problem. The only time I've seen it be a problem is when someone is tapping the brakes on and off with one brake light out. Then it can at first glance look like a turn signal instead. Otherwise the differentiation is still clear enough to me. The red brake lights are *much* brighter than the ordinary rear running lights. They have to be to be distinguishable at night. |
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