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#21
06-20-2007, 04:47 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
[ QUOTE ]
FWIW, I've read that the traffic laws in Germany are much stricter, e.g. it's actually illegal to "cruise" in the left lane or pass on the right on the autobahn, and you get hit with a very hefty fine for doing so. Maybe if this stuff were against the law in the U.S. fewer people would do it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobah...nd_enforcement [/ QUOTE ] I have lived in Germany, and the above quote is the definitive reason that the German drivers are "better" than in the U.S. Their rules are stricter, and more strictly enforced. In addition to marked highway patrols, there are also frequent and diligent patrols by unmarked vehicles. Also, they have really cracked down on aggressive driving as well, so if you do try to pass and a car does not pull over, you cannot give the brights or honk, which was the traditional way to say gtf out of the way or die on the Autobahn. 
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#22
06-20-2007, 04:48 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] lol, please drive down 101 or 880 in CA someday and tell me you think it would be better, safer or faster if everyone were in the slow lane except when passing.... [/ QUOTE ] It would be better, safer, and faster if everyone were in the slow lane except when passing. [/ QUOTE ] except of course when somebody needed to get on or off the freeway and there was nothing but a cluster [censored] of cars in the way with 2 open lanes to the left of them. other then that "minor detail", you are probably right.
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#23
06-20-2007, 05:02 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
On American urban highways, the middle lane often functions as the 'right lane', with the right lane being a kind of merging on/off lane, as well as a passing lane for those adventerous enough to try to pass that way. On four-lane highways, the relationship gets more complicated.
Still, people just don't get out of the way in the left lane - it's always amusing to me to see State Police who routinely drive 80+ in the left lane try to move [censored] drivers over who don't understand that the cop doesn't care if you speed up to get out of his way, so long as you just get out of his way. People don't pay enough attention on the road, and they're convinced that every other driver is wrong/bad (e.g. George Carlin's brilliant idiot/maniac distinction - everyone who drives slower is an idiot, everyone who drives faster is a maniac).
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#24
06-20-2007, 05:04 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
Where the hell did you drive? The left lane is [censored] polluted by slow ppl who refuse to use the right lane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Having to commute to Frankfurt or somewhere near Köln is [censored] [censored] [censored]!
And to rules, etc: there is a rule to use the right-most lane if possible (e.g. it's free). Nobody gives a damn, and it's rearely enforced. There is a rule regarding the distance between vehicles, especially the distance a truck has to keep: they usually give a [censored] and would just crash into the vehicle before them if it surprisingly slows down (there are more examples like these two). Maybe driving in germany is still more fun than in america, but it's certainly not as funny as you describe.
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#25
06-20-2007, 05:09 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
[ QUOTE ]
Where the hell did you drive? The left lane is [censored] polluted by slow ppl who refuse to use the right lane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Having to commute to Frankfurt or somewhere near Köln is [censored] [censored] [censored]! [/ QUOTE ] the A5 in the southwestern part of the country
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#26
06-20-2007, 05:56 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] lol, please drive down 101 or 880 in CA someday and tell me you think it would be better, safer or faster if everyone were in the slow lane except when passing.... [/ QUOTE ] It would be better, safer, and faster if everyone were in the slow lane except when passing. [/ QUOTE ] except of course when somebody needed to get on or off the freeway and there was nothing but a cluster [censored] of cars in the way with 2 open lanes to the left of them. other then that "minor detail", you are probably right. [/ QUOTE ] Pretty sure that would count as a passing situation.
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#27
06-20-2007, 06:23 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Where the hell did you drive? The left lane is [censored] polluted by slow ppl who refuse to use the right lane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Having to commute to Frankfurt or somewhere near Köln is [censored] [censored] [censored]! [/ QUOTE ] the A5 in the southwestern part of the country [/ QUOTE ] You gotta be kiddin. Frankfurt, Darmstadt and so on? Trafficjam every morning? 45mins for 20km? Dang it feels weird being leveled ... [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
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#28
06-20-2007, 06:54 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
[ QUOTE ]
You gotta be kiddin. Frankfurt, Darmstadt and so on? Trafficjam every morning? 45mins for 20km? Dang it feels weird being leveled ... [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] no traffic jams where i was man...we started work pretty early every morning though so maybe i just missed them.
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#29
06-20-2007, 10:16 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
[ QUOTE ]
FWIW, I've read that the traffic laws in Germany are much stricter, e.g. it's actually illegal to "cruise" in the left lane or pass on the right on the autobahn, and you get hit with a very hefty fine for doing so. Maybe if this stuff were against the law in the U.S. fewer people would do it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobah...nd_enforcement [/ QUOTE ] In 2000, I was driving south on some major highway just south of San Jose. I was on the back side of the mountains, going downhill. Traffic was a bit of a clusterfuck, because there was one guy just sitting in the left lane, going the same speed as the right lane. I was startled when something whipped right by my window. It was a motorcycle cop, speeding along right between the two lanes. He pulled up even with the [censored] cruising in the passing lane, hit his lights, and pulled him over. I fell in love with CA immediately. EDIT: When I was in Germany, I was on a bus with a bunch of other students, going from Regensburg (southern Germany) to Berlin (northern). We passed other buses along the way, and there was at least one person drinking a beer in each of the other buses, even if it was 8 or 9AM. Totally different culture in Germany than anywhere else.
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#30
06-20-2007, 11:09 PM
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Re: German vs. American Drivers - A Trip Report and Call to Arms
I feel this is more of a big city phenomenon. When I lived in a 100k town in texas I never had this problem on the highways. People drove somewhat similarly to what you describe, albeitly less precise. On two lane roads slower cars will even pull on the shoulder to make passing easier. Now that I am in the Northeast, I notice the exact problems you speak of constantly. I always move out of the way of faster traffic as a courtesy and when I pass, I always accelerate through. I absolutely hate when one car tkaes 5 minutes to pass in the fast lane and I make sure not to do this. I don't know what it is, but I honestly think it relates less to stupidity and more toward people just being inconsiderate.
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