Speed kills?

[Mw Roofline]

What if they doing 70?

Can see your point. I spend 4 weeks a year in the US and every time take a 4 hour drive on the Freeway. Everyone does 70, in all 4 lanes. It can take you 5 miles to negotiate around someone so in the end no one bothers and everyone does 70. It's the most boring drive imaginable.

All sounds good and safe but the thing is, after a few hours sitting behind the same car at the same speed if there is ever an accident ahead there is always a pile up because everyone is so switched off and suddenly shyte themselves when it's time to hit the brake. That's why there are just so many rear shunts and pileups on the US Freeways.

I can't wait to get back to the motorways in the UK. More to do, more alert and you get there quicker whilst maintaining a level of safe driving.

 

[chapeau]

Took the driving test in California aged 30 so had around thirteen years experience on the roads taking buses and taxis in London.

Examiner told me that I was the best driver she had ever tested. They start at 100 and deduct points for mistakes and she said she couldn't give me 100 as nobody would accept it so she knocked off two points and gave me a 98.

One negative point was for not crossing my hands on the steering wheel when going round corners ( I was doing the ten to two stuff).

Other negative point was for going into neutral and putting the handbrake on when at a red traffic light.

So I pointed out the danger of staying in gear with foot on clutch at a red light as if it slipped I could run over a pedestrian. She said she never thought of that but I still had to have 98.

Pass mark was 75 so you can obviously stuff it up and still get a license (sp). Rubbish drivers and it starts that way and doesn'tr change.

 

[joe-90]

i bet you gave her a 69.

 

[chapeau]

They call them hummers over there. Very confusing to a new boy in town, kept thinking these hot babes wanted to give me an oversized car.

Just remembered another bizarre thing about the californian test. I borrowed the car from a mate and when I got there was told to show the indicators worked. They didn't. So examiner said no problem, just do hand signals.

Well I'm not sure I even did them for my UK test so I had no clue, but wound down the window and headed out with one arm hanging out of window and the other one steering and changing gear. She had no problem with that. However it was summer and 100F in the shade, and she had a big problem with the heat coming in through the window and messing her hair.

So after about three minutes of hot air blasts she told me to wind the window up and forget about signalling. So we spent the rest of the test barging in and out of traffic with no indicators.

However as that is how they expect you to drive I didn't get marked down on that at all.

And afterwards I found out that they have different hand signals in California and I had been using UK ones and she didn't care about that either.

 

[joe-90]

i thought two fingers and middle finger were universal. You learn something every day.