Drivers

Random thoughts post I have wanted to do for awhile now. Jeremy and I have lived in quite a few cities now. I have noticed something about the correlation between the general feel of a city and the way people drive in that city. Here are four cities and my thoughts:

Boston

Hands down, my favorite city to drive in. I can only use "A" words to describe the drivers here. Aggressive, Alert, Assertive, and Ambitious. When driving in Boston you have to use all the tools that your car provides you that in most cities are ignored. The horn is not rude, it is a tool to help keep traffic moving. You must use your horn in Boston. Your turn signal is your life line. You need this to communicate with other drivers. I can parallel park like nobodies business. Everyone seems to be working together to keep traffic moving and efficient at all times. I guess this can come off as rude when you first arrive, or if you are visiting. I loved the energy and excitement of driving in Boston. But this took a lot of practice. You have to learn to adapt to Boston driving, or pull over and take the T.

Washington D.C.

Oh my, the laziest drivers I have ever encountered. Maybe because the traffic is so bad there. Maybe you just give up. I think it is a cultural thing, a southern thing. You definitely feel the southern influence in Virginia. There was no signaling going on here, or any indication of what the driver in front of you might be doing. It didn't feel intentional, just lazy. Also, the HOV lane there is for 3 people. It was almost always empty while the rest of the freeway was backed up for hours. I think people were just lazy to coordinate a carpool. I just had another baby to create my own HOV 3. The day Sam was born I hit the HOV lane and was so happy!

Salt Lake City

Oh boy, Utah drivers. I had always heard about how bad they were. I never experienced this as a college student because I did not have a car. When we moved there I was anxious to figure out the mystery. I can sum it up in one word, Selfish. The most selfish drivers on the planet! Everybody is out for themselves. If you signal that you are coming over, nobody will let you in! Selfish drivers are dangerous drivers. I never really felt safe driving there because you just never knew what the other drivers were going to do.

Portland

This is where I learned to drive, and I have to say that I am kind of a stickler about following traffic rules. I think this comes from Oregon. When we go back Jeremy and I are amazed at how strictly people follow the traffic rules. The speed limit on freeways is 55, and literally everyone goes 55. It is bizarre, and a little bit annoying. Mostly this is weird to me because it doesn't really fit the granola feeling of the area. Fascinating.