Driving is differnt here in country Pennsylvania

I lived in Texas for a while and found almost no road rage or inconsiderate driving. I also travelled around the US and found pretty much the same thing everywhere I went.

My theory.
High levels of handgun ownership (especially in Texas). When you can almost guarantee that the bloke in the car in front of you has a loaded weapon in their glovebox would you tailgate?

Come to think of it, why is it that Canberra drivers speed up in the rain? Is it something to do with not wanting to get the car too wet before getting home? Or do we somehow believe that in getting home faster, we won’t get as wet ourselves?

Having come to Canberra from Adelaide (where BTW courtesy reigns), I simply cannot fathom this one.

Wanon said :

Coming from Queensland, I was shocked by the driving down here. Queensland driving seems to resemble what Sgt.Bungers is describing over there. Everything on the road is uber agressive here.

I think we all know it. Canberra drivers suck.

Coming from QLD, I personally saw more than 1 crash a day without fail on Brisbane roads. From my observations, QLDers seemed to have trouble with the stick on the right side of the steering wheel ??? Roundabouts, changing lanes, turning, you name it. LOL

Canberra drivers have a rep for being speedy gonzalas’s !!!! Sooo many times while traveling up the Hume did I notice a car come up from behind at a great rate of knots and then fly past … one guess at what rego plates were displayed ?? ACT.

All states have reputations as such, some deserved, some not.

taco said :

Does ACT do better than other states and territories because we have odd demographics? perhaps the fact that we earn more on average could mean that we have more newer/expensive cars with better safety features?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have our fair share of crap cars on the road m8 …….

Its because the roads in Canberra are so damn easy to drive on that we have less accidents per capita, not because of any particular thing Canberrans do that is better/different than any other state.

In my opinion the drivers are terrible here in Canberra, they generally don’t stick to the speed limit rather driving 10kph under the speed limit and a bit to the left as to annoy the crap out of the person behind whilst encouraging dangerous overtaking..

I would suggest that Canberra is also the rubbernecking capital of Australia if not the world. Hell if it’s a nice day down at Uriarra we have even been known to stop, take photographs and post em on here for all the virtual rubberneckers to enjoy..

monomania said :

And the ACT does better than any other state and territory by a large margin so perhaps the fact that we actually drive our vehicles rather than simply direct them about is a safer way of getting from A to B.

We actually drive our vehicles? I thought we just made sure nobody else uses our lane while setting the cruise control to the posted limit regardless of conditions.

Does ACT do better than other states and territories because we have odd demographics? perhaps the fact that we earn more on average could mean that we have more newer/expensive cars with better safety features?

The United States ranks 42nd of the 48 countries measured in the number of fatalities per capita, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Transport Forum. Australia, Britain, France, Germany and Japan all did significantly better.

According to a 2007 NY Times article.

And the ACT does better than any other state and territory by a large margin so perhaps the fact that we actually drive our vehicles rather than simply direct them about is a safer way of getting from A to B.

Wanon said :

Coming from Queensland, I was shocked by the driving down here. Queensland driving seems to resemble what Sgt.Bungers is describing over there. Everything on the road is uber agressive here.

I think we all know it. Canberra drivers suck.

So how come in 2007, the road deaths per 100000 people in Queensland were 8.61 and in the ACT were 4.12
and for every 100 million kilometres were 0.74 for Queensland and for the ACT 0.43, figures typical of previous years?
(Road Deaths Australia: 2007 Statistical Summary)

I found the same when living in Ashburn, Virginia for 3 months last year.
Canberra drivers ARE aggressive, dangerous and careless, with zero scene of consequence.

Also the police presence on the roads in the USA is far stronger than over here.

Coming from Queensland, I was shocked by the driving down here. Queensland driving seems to resemble what Sgt.Bungers is describing over there. Everything on the road is uber agressive here.

I think we all know it. Canberra drivers suck.

Or is it because everyone is terrified that any person on the road could be carrying a gun…

Could be. I noticed New Yorkers were exceptionally polite on the subway – if some one bumped you they would always make a point of apologising profusely – I suspect that the inclination to drive up someones ar$e, weaving back and forth and flashing your high-beams would be reduced in a place where it could earn you a face full of lead at the next set of lights.

Dude, you just compared a foreign rural town with a metropolitan centre. Of course it’s different. You’re in rural Pennsylvania. Tell me, did you notice the Amish are different, too, from the folks that live in Kambah?

California is like that except for the no tailgating bit. Californian drivers speed, tailgate, cut each other off ect.

Another possibility is that everyone’s terrified of being sued into the ground if they cause anyone any harm.

Remembering of course that what you have described as a right turn is of course our left turn, which will make much more sense to those of us who have not yet had the “pleasure” of driving on the wrong side of the road.

And your questions – yeah, bit of both, perhaps.