vacation rant

[computersoc]

I feel your pain, but it has nothing to do with the posted limits as some people have suggested. I've driven in Europe a few times and there are speed limits just about everywhere (other than parts of the Autobahn in Germany) but people know how to drive. They do not hang out in the left lane, and if for whatever reason a slower car needs to be in the left lane, they move over right away. American drivers just don't know how to drive. Anyone can get a license, just take the "test" (ha, what a test) again if you fail. In Europe, it's a lot harder to get a license.

I LOVE driving in Europe. It's no stress at all.... Other than photo radar and some countries with fines up to 2000 Euros for radar detector usage.

[johndetroit]

European drivers will pass you and merge but keep their speed. I always find that in the USA someone will pass you and then hit their brake lights when they merge too soon. Worse yet many slow down gradually making you have to get in the passing lane and work around their erratic speeds.

[supercowpowers]

European drivers will pass you and merge but keep their speed. I always find that in the USA someone will pass you and then hit their brake lights when they merge too soon. Worse yet many slow down gradually making you have to get in the passing lane and work around their erratic speeds.

Not sure where this came from. Is it about entrance ramps? If so I can testify to the severe incompetence that an unfortunately large portion of American drivers have in that department. Most of the time I can merge at the exact point the ramp joins the highway and already be synchronized with the speed of traffic. It requires looking for a gap before you actually reach that point, which I think a lot of people don't do. They get up to the highway and then start looking for a spot, so they have to make a much greater change in speed (usually braking, which means they're entering traffic about 20 MPH too slow) than if they had figured it out earlier. Then they get pissed when people don't let them on...

[WDG]

They get up to the highway and then start looking for a spot, so they have to make a much greater change in speed (usually braking, which means they're entering traffic about 20 MPH too slow) than if they had figured it out earlier. Then they get pissed when people don't let them on...

As a rule, if there's no sign that they've picked an opening and are attempting to match speed to hit it, I won't adjust my speed to accomodate them.

Even worse, around here they'll sometimes come to a COMPLETE STOP at the end of the ramp, so there's no way they can merge without being a complete menace on the highway. I've been known to go around these goobers on the ramp, as I've already picked my merge space.