Pete & Aprille Chadwell wrote:
>
> I have to submit this, not because I necessarily think that Americans
> are
> by definition bad drivers, but just because I thought of it and I
> think
> it's funny:
>
> You're all familiar with the little etching on side-view mirrors
> (convex
> ones) that say "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR," right?
>
> Well, I think that ought to be changed on US market cars to:
>
> "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE BEHIND YOU."
>
> I must now say that I have never stepped foot outside this country
> (and
> frankly, I'm quite content with that) so I don't know first hand what
> drivers elsewhere are like. I usually, if not always, scoff at
> regional or
> state based generalizations about the quality of drivers. My
> experience
> tells me that every state's drivers complain about the neighboring
> state's
> drivers and what idiots they all are.
>
> I will offer this observation, however. I learned to drive in a
> community
> of about 60,000. (Medford, Oregon) Not a small town, but not huge,
> either.
> After driving several years there, I drove to Portland for God knows
> what.
> I hadn't driven in a "big city" prior to that, and I immediately
> noticed
> that IN GENERAL, drivers there were by far more alert and aware. I
> don't
> think this has anything to do with just Portland, mind you... but
> rather I
> think that it's simply due to the amount of traffic one has to learn
> to
> deal with in a metropolitan area. I noticed the same thing when I
> moved to
> Seattle (ugh!) several years later. Now I live in a community of only
> 30,000+ (Bend, Oregon) and now I have to really watch out for folks!!
>
> Anyone else wanna back this up?
>
> Pete Chadwell
Pete,
I learned to drive in a city of 500K,(Kansas City), and thought I was a
pretty good driver. After driving for 15 years(cars,p/u
trucks,motorcycles and large trucks) I moved to Houston, wtih a
population of 3 million and a lousy road system, I was amazed at how
tense driving can make you,a large contributor to Road Rage. But most
of the motorists appear to be pre-occupied with everything from women
putting on make-up at 60mph, to business men making business deals on
cell phones. We have the highest insurance rates in the nation because
we are also the lawsuit capitol of the world. We have more attourneys
per thousand people than the 3 larger cities in the country. Most of
our courts are tied up with alot of frivolous suits. I can just see a
law suit now. Mr. Jones vs. GM..."They didn't say how close they were."
And he would probably win with a multi-million dollar settlement.
Enough grousing, just needed to get that off my chest. It just amazes
me that the general IQ of the American public is deteriorating at an
alarming rate.
Larry Zink
1964 Spitfire4
Houston,Texas
Larry
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