A Good Indicator

Despite my chameleon like attempts to go unnoticed amongst LA society there are certain characteristics which will always mark me out as an alien species.

 Driving is one of them. 

Why? Because I know how to use my indicators.  It is very apparent cruising around the city streets that despite the vast sums of money the average American likes to spend on purchasing a flashy new car, they don’t spend an awful lot of time reading their owner handbooks.  If they did, they’d find out how to put their indicators on.

Considering they’ve all learned how to juggle the steering wheel whilst texting, balancing an i-pad and drinking a Starbucks you think sussing out how to let your fellow drivers know what direction you’re about to take would be pretty easy in comparison. 

Unfortunately co-operation is not part of the American psyche.  This is a culture where it’s very much ALL ABOUT ME.

A regular reader – and yes I do have some – very kindly sent me an article from the motoring press following a post I wrote about our trip to the East Coast where we re-discovered the joys of roundabouts.  American motorists are apparently very resistant to the idea of roundabouts because basically it means they all have to work together for the greater good in order to improve traffic flow.  Heaven forbid, they may even have to yield to another car.  This is an unfamiliar concept in American society.

It's very noticeable here that road users have very little regard for each other and are positively unco-operative.  You are never waved on ahead out of a car park or a side street into the main traffic flow even if the traffic is already at a complete standstill.  Nobody is ever going to give up their place in that line at the lights for you and why an earth should they? Remember - it's every man for themselves out here.

I'll admit I'm not a perfect driver - as the teenager is very quick to remind me now that she has passed her permit test and is the font of knowledge regarding the Californian Highway Code.  Although I personally think most Americans believe the right to drive at any speed, in any lane of the freeway is part of the American Constitution, I know for a fact that slower traffic is supposed to keep to the right and its pure urban myth that other cars can undertake, drive on the hard shoulder and even jump over the top of each other to get ahead.  I also know that a red traffic light means stop and a flashing white pedestrian sign means, unfortunately,  you do have to let them cross.

I also know that you are supposed to indicate before making a manoeuver which actually makes perfect sense. It's not just a question of good manners there is also the safety aspect. 

This is where I come unstuck with American mentality.  Here is a nation of people who take great pride in being gratuitously polite, yet give them a car and Dr Jekyll takes the back seat as Mr Hyde grabs the steering wheel.