Standard of driving

[Badger]

We have just returned from a couple of weeks on the gulf coast. We were amazed at how low the standard of driving has become in Fla. On several occasions we travelled the I75 from Fort Myers to Manesota and we were constantly tailgated and 'cut up' by local drivers.Once the rain was so bad that I couldn't see to travel at more than 30 m.p.h. but we were being overtaken by lunatics doing 80/90 m.p.h. We saw 4 accidents between Manesota and Fort Myers during that rainstorm. They also seem to have become much more impatient, how the standard has dropped since we began going in the late 80's

[heathercobbett]

My husband will say the opposite about driving in the Disney area.He hates driving in England,but really quite enjoys it over there

[ravtino]

I have to sat we have been going to Florida since 89 and last year was the first time we hired a 4x4 and I have to say I/we were very nervous beforehand,after a few days we setteled in well and It took my husband all his time to get me from behind the wheel! I enjoyrd it and apart from a few drivers I thought they were a lot better behaved than here!!!!!!!!!!!

[andrewmckay5]

Badger,

you can tell us what a great time you had on the Gulf though[msnwink]

andrew

[LiesaAnna]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by heathercobbett
My husband will say the opposite about driving in the Disney area.He hates driving in England,but really quite enjoys it over there
[/quote]same for mine Heather!! hates driving here but loves it in florida[msnwink]

[Cruella DeVilla]

I totally agree about the standard of driving it is awful in general, whether it be tourists or locals. Indicating seems optional and most cars have a blantant disregard for the speed limits.
I get quite worked up everytime I go out in the car!

[Linicia]

I hated it and ended up a nervous wreck even though my husband was doing the driving. I am used to driving on the M25 and in and around London with few problems but Florida? You won't catch me behind the wheel. Just as well I have someone who didn't mind the tailgating, cutting up (from both sides) and speeding.

[Matt]

I too have to admit that over the past 5 or 6 years it has started getting a little faster paced on the roads, especially on the 'I' roads such as I4. I can remember having a 'laid back' approach to the driving on the freeways, but nowadays I get all tense, headaches where I'm concentrating on not what I'm doing, but every other driver on the road!!!!

Still prefer driving there rather than here in the UK though[8D]

Matt

[Tonish]

I agree with the general comments above. I've been going to Florida since 1975, when I went with my parents age 13. As a car mad youngster, I couldn't believe how all these peole with huge cars with 6 and 7 litre engines stuck religiously to the speed limit of 55 mph.

The speeds have got faster as the cars have got smaller and the standard of driving has got worse as the cars become more european/japanese.

Only half tongue in cheek, I think it's all to do with the size of the cars myself. The huge comfy lazy roll around type of cars they all used to drive have been replaced by speedy, sporty aggressive little ones with a corresponding change in driving style and attitude.

You know the way some small men can have an annoyingly pushy chip on the shoulder attitude and want to be right in your face? (Think Hitler, Napoleon, Robin Cook!)[}:)]. It's the same with cars!

Anyone else agree?

Tonish

[eastcoastbranch]

We find that drivers are more patient in Florida than here in the UK.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Us too - never had a problem driving in Florida.

The UK is a different thing - drivers are aggressive and you see people shouting all sorts of 4 letter words if you do not let them in etc etc. One wonders if they would say the same thing to you if they were not in their car [msnsad].

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by eastcoastbranch
We find that drivers are more patient in Florida than here in the UK.
[/quote]

[pieman790]

We have never had a problem driving in Florida.
The only road that i would say is busy is the I4. Most of the other toll roads are almost deserted. The 192 can be busy but if you have ever driven in London before than this is nothing.
As for the standard of driving we have never encountered any problems.

[trevlad]

well i was gonna put a thread on about bad driving but i,ll just 'tailgate' this one.

we did the friday evening drive up the turnpike from miami. what a bunch of '#'#'#'. the standard of driving was appalling and its quite easy to see why their crash rate has gone up. it was like being in the whacky races( i felt like penelope pitstop [:I])

i am aware that they can overtake on either side but it would help if they were taught or made to pull aside and be courteuos.especially when towing trailers and trying to road race at the same time! and also not undertake and push in where 'wind couldnt blow'.

i agree with johns effing and blining comments with the uk but in flori i also think a lack of awareness or ignorance comes in to play

yes around the loving 192 et al most people are considerate. i must admit that by week 2, as we were in a 4x4, a couple of times when i needed to turn off i just pulled out on people trying to race up the inside. i'm not talking about being dangerous, just driving like locals

anyrate i'd still rather be in flori'showing them how to drive properly' than home in blighty[msnsmile2]

[blott]

I think the driving in Florida is still a lot better than in the UK.

Here, you can hardly travel half a mile before you find at least one driving plonker but in Florida you normally have to drive at least five miles and then may never find one! :)

Once you get used to the concept of the possibility of being passed on either side being perfectly legal, it's really not that difficult to check both your mirrors frequently so that you're pepared for someone doing this although, if you find people doing this frequently to you, then you're probably in the wrong lane!

The other concept of being able to turn at most red traffic lights after coming to a complete stop is also a joy and beats having to sit on red for five minutes at a time.

The only thing that petrifies me is those yellow school buses as I always have to put my mind in a higher gear to try to remember what it is I'm meant to be doing with things whizzing around my brain like - is this a dual carriageway, is this yellow bus stopping to let kids off or is it just stopping because of the traffic, etc, etc.

[florida4sun]

After living in Florida for nearly 5 byears and being back in the uk for 12 months. i can honestley say I much prefer Florida. Sure its noit perfect but the driving in then Uk is much more aggressive. Since being back I have had two people threaten me on the road (over a petty mistake by myself). I never had this once in the USA.


<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Badger
We have just returned from a couple of weeks on the gulf coast. We were amazed at how low the standard of driving has become in Fla. On several occasions we travelled the I75 from Fort Myers to Manesota and we were constantly tailgated and 'cut up' by local drivers.Once the rain was so bad that I couldn't see to travel at more than 30 m.p.h. but we were being overtaken by lunatics doing 80/90 m.p.h. We saw 4 accidents between Manesota and Fort Myers during that rainstorm. They also seem to have become much more impatient, how the standard has dropped since we began going in the late 80's
[/quote]

[caroline]

I love driving in Florida, I find that generally drivers are more courteous - they will move over to allow you to join the Interstate - rarely see anybody doing that on the M25!

[Cruella DeVilla]

We do a lot of driving in Florida, each trip we do the Gulf coast journey to Fort Myers and travel all over the place in my love for a good shopping trip. I decide where we are travelling to first and then whether I will drive or not. I have a left hand drive car which I drive everyday so that does not faze me, I hate the undertaking and overtaken but you do get used to it, You really have to have your wits about you oh yes and guess where the car infront of you is going to turn off.

Agree there is bad driving everywhere but I don't get het up as much driving in Europe on a daily basis as I do in Florida[laugh] Still know where I would rather be[8D][8D]

[julieanne]

Got to agree with Blott, Martin and Caroline. Sure there are some bad drivers but on the whole I prefer driving there than in the UK.

I know where I'd rather be too CDV [msnwink]

[chrizzy100]

If you think the driving is bad in FL.....you'd hate it up here on the Cape....you take your life in your hands just going down the road.......the thing that gets to me most......is people waiting to pull onto a main road.....they wait till you almost get to them...then they pull out infront of you.....thing is...most of the time.....the road behind you is empty.......it happens all the time.....you have to put your brakes on hard not to hit them......its a major problem here and one to do with not knowing how to use stop signs......

[LiesaAnna]

i actually feel more calm as a passenger alongside hubby when in florida!!
we have yet to see something that makes us think about bad driving over there, everything was great no haraassment on the roads, no swearing no road rage, nothing just traffic blending in with each other and even when we came across road works which held us up for ages everyone was still a lot calmer then i have ever seen here!!!

[Ray&Sarah]

Ray prefers to drive in Florida and I haven't noticed as much aggression on the part of other drivers in Florida.[msnsmile]

[nicklangdon]

We found that the drivers don't seem to mind when you're in the wrong lane unlike this country where you get tooted/shouted at and rude signals given.I did notice that people seemed to be driving faster but other than that it was overall a very nice experience to drive over there! [msnsmile2]

[tia 33]

Having just returned from Florida, I agree that the standard of driving is poor, confirmed by the number of accidents we seemed to pass. It also takes a little while to get used to the lack of lane discipline and overtaking on both sides. However, I did not see one incidence of road rage or hear a horn beep. I found this very refreshing and would far rather this type of laid back attitude was more evident over here! I also agree that it is great to turn right (where allowed) on a red light. :D

[Jill]

If you drive in Miami you will certainly hear horns beep. If you do not move off at traffic lights as they are changing they will beep you. In fact it is safe to say road rage is alive and kicking in Miami. I would compare it to driving in the centre of London.

[trevlad]

laura we mustve been driving the same roads we saw a number of 'wrecks', but then we were ther for 3 weeks!. i was sure my sunglasses werent rose tinted.

in saying that though we saw 5 rta's driving home from london to durham on sunday, so i know where i'd rather be.

another pro usa point was , i went for a run one morning along the us 27 . not one person honked there horn at me or shouted any comments, you dont get that in the uk , theres always some 'wiseguy' ready to make you jump outta ya skin[msnmad] [sporty]

[chrizzy100]

I'm always using my horn......most of the time to wake up the Statey at our stupid roundabout that no-one knows how to use...so he can go chase the people down for pulling out on me.......I'm sure if people used their horns more around here..we'd have less crashes.......

[dick wroe]

i find driving in florida much less of a pain than the UK and very pleasurable

however a word of warning to brit drivers who might be inclined to make rude gestures or dispaly some "british type road rage" DONT

lots of guns are carried and you are just a s likely to be shot as argued with!!

[flyrr100]

I've lived in Texas, The West Coast, Nevada, The Midwest, and now Florida. And drivers in Florida are, by far, the worst drivers I've ever come across.
Saying that, I still preffer driving here than in the UK. British drivers, and I used to be one, are in too much of a hurry. They are too ready to get into a fight about nothing.
Last time I was there I kept getting flashed by lights up on the lamp posts. Wierd!
Long live the Florida toll roads!

[Clare R]

As a Gulf Coast owner who often stays in her villa on her own I can honestly say that I think the standard of driving in Florida is far superior to that of my home city of Bristol. UK driving is agressive, fast and with parking allowed on the roads far more dangerous than anything I have come across on the Gulf Coast. The lack of commercial traffic even in large areas such as Sarasota is such a blessing. My one bug bear is that whilst 'stop' junctions seem to work in the US where they wouldn't in the UK I find that drivers are indicating for me to move on but they are doing it through very heavy tinted windscreens - how do they expect me to see what they are doing?

[Robert5988]

Subjectively I would have thought that driving in America would be safer than the UK. Lower speeds and generally more relaxed
attitude etc.

However whatever one thinks of British and American driving standards, it is an inescapable fact that driving is more dangerous in the USA.

If anyone doubts this, do a little research on the internet - there are masses of statistics available . No matter which way you interpret the statistics – accidents, injuries and deaths are higher. Those rates are higher whether you consider accidents/injuries/deaths per car, per person or per mile driven.

For all the aggressive driving in UK, we have one of the lowest accident/injury/death rates in the world.

[Frosty]

In my view its the US drivers which have a poor standard.

Remember they don't do much of a test, they drive Autos and they aren't taught anything about lane discipline.

The people who think its more relaxed in the US, yes it is, but only because they drive relatively slower than we do and the roads are much wider. I.E. on a motorway we do on average 90mph, (do 70mph and you will be passed all day) and we have 3 lanes, they do mostly 70mph on a freeway and could have up to 5 or 6 lanes. This also translates down to smaller roads.

The problem is that US drivers will jump lanes to fill the safety gap you have left infront of you and then bang on the brakes causing everyone else to brake. They drive their autos in 2 ways, stop and go, they don't have the ability to slow the car through gearchanges etc so simply drive up behind then brake.
The phone culture has really caught up with them as well, the US seems to have lagged behind the UK, they all seem to have just got their mobiles (cells) and feel the need to be on them while driving which causes people to just sit there in their own little world in the "fast lane".

The point about road rage been less is valid, but you have to remember the guy you are making gestures to may have a 9mm pistol under his front seat or could be high on weed.

All the above are generalisations and there are exceptions on both sides.

These are not just my views either, i have been lucky enough to be over there 4 times this year, and on 2 of those i drove people round who have never been to the US, they both came back with exactly the same comments about "everyone is on the phone" and "the standard of driving is rubbish".

If i had to choose between a good UK driver and a good US driver, i would pick the UK driver every time, we have a better road awareness and car skills.
But choice of driving venue would have to be the US, the roads although not always finished well are made so that even your dear old granny can get around.

Oh and to all the people who say they get involved in road rage in the UK, maybe you should consider your driving, are you in the correct lane ? doing the right speed ? or not looking round when you pull out ?
If you are, then why are people gesturing at you!!!:D[}:)]

[millie]

I find driving in Florida OK but you have to be very vigilant all the time. The only thing that drives me mad :(:(:( is the fact that if you want to change lanes eg when your lane is ending noone lets you out. This happened all holiday. I indicated and waited for a gap to get out and noone lets you go like they do in the UK. I don't think they are courteous at all. Changing lanes is a nightmare if it is busy.

[floridageoff]

We will be on our 14th visit to Orlando this November and we have seen an accident every time we have been there. We were nearly involved in one ourselves this year. Careless driver behind us not realising the lights were at red. He had to mount the pavement / sidewalk in order to avoid hitting us. It totally shook us up. I think the key is to drive defensively whilst over there and expect the unexpected.

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:The problem is that US drivers will jump lanes to fill the safety gap you have left infront of you and then bang on the brakes causing everyone else to brake.
The phone culture has really caught up with them as well, the US seems to have lagged behind the UK, they all seem to have just got their mobiles (cells) and feel the need to be on them while driving which causes people to just sit there in their own little world in the "fast lane".
[/quote]
I agree wholeheartedly that those are the most dangerous characteristics of American driving.
The undertaking and cutting in, if you leave more than a couple of car lengths from the car in front, is the main reason for the endemic tailgating you see everywhere.

No matter what lane I am in, I always seem to end up with a huge SUV(with the driver on a mobile) a couple of feet from my back bumper/fender.

Another reason for the high accident rate is the grass median strip between the freeways. Put a wheel on that at speed and you have the very common rollover accident.

[ellie]

We find driving in Florida pleasant, and have not experienced the daily aggression, tailgating and speeding that occurs on our roads locally. We do avoid the I4 but find the toll roads well worth the minor cost as they are so free of traffic.

I must admit that driving round Miami can be a bit scary, especially on the I95, but every morning on my way to work some maniac wants to drive right up my bumper no matter what speed I go, and seems oblivious to the dangers to himself and others. So it really isn't much different.

Don't forget that some UK drivers can be a bit of a liability in Orlando. Especially when they get off the 'plane and have never driven on the RHS before.[msneek]

Wherever you are you need to keep your wits about you when driving.

[Ray&Sarah]

Ray says that after driving in both Paris and Florence, the US is a breeze.[msnwink][msnsmile2]