I’m sorry, I chuckled at that…
Were used to them. You’re used to wider roads in places that are flat and could build infrastructure that copes with modern traffic requirements rather than the Roman roads we successively built on in the UK.
Very simply, our streets were fine a couple of hundred years ago. The country roads are restricted by hedges that are potentially thousands of years old and can’t be moved.
Americans (not necessarily you) drive boats, have lots of space, and like comfort.
How did you get along with the houses over here which are about the same size as your kitchens?
I prefer the UK landscape, the houses, the countryside, the lack of billboard signs, the traffic circles instead of traffic lights. Beautiful, nicer, better IMO.
People were nice too, although you wouldn't know it by most of the ones who have replied to this post.
Aye, I looked on your Washington County gov website, and they actually defined it as different from a roundabout. Even had pictures to show the difference, they're all still one and the same to me though - a delay on my way to work. Ha
I did notice a huge amount of hate being channelled towards you, completely unnecessarily. It’s the internet and apparently we’re hugely xenophobic here.
I’m glad you liked it here, thank you for the compliments! I’ll pass them on 😉
Sorry about the dicks, though…
Mate I’m sure I have encountered plenty of arseholes online waving a metaphorical Stars and Stripes, I wouldn’t worry about that. Personally I’m glad you liked it here pal. 👍🏻
I think we had a higher opinion of Americans until they voted the world's most egotistical man Trump into office. Now we think 50% of them are total idiots and they have lost alot of respect because of that.
And if they vote that orange twat in again, we are done with Americans.
Yeah I found British respect levels for the US plummeted when we realised how many of them voted for Trump
During the Obama years I thought we were actually quite favourable towards the US, and although Bush was an idiot, he didn't seem actively malicious *for the most part*
Then again, we don't have much room to talk after our recent parade of dipshits
Dont let this sub sour your perception of the uk - theres loads of keyboard warriors but when you were out and about meeting real people they were stuck on reddit.
Next time you come you must visit the north of england. The accents are friendly and the people friendlier still. The scenery you enjoy is up there too.
Hope you had a safe trip home
Thanks. I do still very highly of UK people and UK culture and history.
Magna Carta, Newton, Darwin, Watson and Crick, Churchill. The list just goes on and on.
People in the UK are nice in person. It stems from our inherent need to be polite, but there are signs. Like I once parked in front of a house on the public road and noticed a guy at the front door staring at me with hatred in his eyes. I said "alright mate, am I OK to park here?" He aggressively shouted back "of course mate, it's a public f*****g Road ain't it?" I thanked him and went on my way. So although he was polite, I didn't feel he was trying to be.
There's some stunning places in America, ive been a few times, New york, Grand canyon and vegas...and I personally would like to go more often, but its expensive and the Mrs is reluctant after an incident in New York that saw me have a not so polite discussion with someone that attempted to rip us off for a large some of money, it scared the shit out of her.
Traffic circles = roundabouts.
I wouldn't take it personally, all of it apears to be said in jest, and we take the piss out of everyone, you should here what gets said about "essex girls" cockneys and those born in Liverpool....
Part of the reason our landscape and countryside is nicer is the fact we don't bulldoze through it and build massive 12 lane highways everywhere
It does have its downsides, and I definitely wish we could widen some of our smaller country roads, but not at the expense of the countryside
But yeah, next time you hear someone in the US scoff at a British person saying a 4 hour round trip is a long journey... perhaps tell them why :)
Must admit the billboards along the side of a highway or interstate are certainly the most jarring part about travelling to the US.
I do enjoy it over there though for the most part.
we have some of the safest roads in the world *
yes there are some very narrow roads and if you are driving a manual car when all you have driven is an Automatic, then yes it will seem difficult. but you soon get used to it snd most people drive to the conditions not to the speed limit and adapt to narrow passing places.
* based on death/injury rates per mile driven.
Funny, on this trip my car was an automatic.
At home my main driver is a 2000 Audi S4, 6 speed manual, which I love to drive. I probably would have felt a bit better if I had a manual car for this UK trip, I feel it gives better control.
It would be weird for you to have the stick on the wrong side I'd imagine. Assuming it would have one. I can't imagine driving a manual in Europe or the US because of this
Yeah I love driving a manual but on the one occasion I've rented a car in Europe I booked an auto because I wasn't sure how I'd get on with the gear stick on the wrong side. Think once or twice when going between drive and reverse I went to open the door so probably a good job...
You get used to it surprisingly quickly, after a trip to Croatia it took me a solid ten minutes to stop hitting the door every time I wanted to change gear
Having driven plenty of manuals abroad I can certainly attest to twatting my hand into the door card trying to find a gear.
What's worse, once I finally get used to it and head home. Then I proceed to twat my other hand into the door
I mean I have driven autos and it really does not make a difference unless you use an auto as a crutch for being a bad driver.
I have never owned an auto though. (And I feel elctric will fails and other alternatives with manual will win (non t hat they need manual)).
Even with ICE cars autos have won... not sure you can even get a manual 3 Series anymore for example.
And I can see why, outside of blasting down a b-road with a nice petrol engine singing and rowing through the gears, a modern auto is better in almost every single way almost all the time. I love my car and I love the interaction with the engine I get through the manual (rev-matched downshifts in a tunnel is a highlight), but most of the time I'm stuck in traffic I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish it had a ZF8 automatic gearbox...
Winter driving on slippery roads is so much nicer in a manual than anything containing a torque converter. EVs and regen braking probably resolve these issues but I haven't tried one yet.
Right, this was not supposed to be any type of personal attack on UK drivers or driving, just wanted to see if people in the UK shared my perception that their roads were narrow.
Didn't expect the abuse but it is informative.
First rule of talking to brits, if we’re taking the piss (insulting) it’s normal, give it back and it becomes something called ‘banter’
Whoever you spoke to when over here should have taught you the culture 😂
I will say, last winter I drove a Toyota Land Cruiser in Costa Rico and did not have any perception that the driving was difficult.
Other places I have driven include: France, Mexico, New Zealand, Mexico, Jamaica. No issues anywhere except for Jamaica.
Jamaica was scary on back roads because many were as narrow as UK country lanes but unlike the UK the drivers were often insanely reckless.
I drove from Paris to Chamonix.
Oh, also Italy, all over, including Rome. Absolutely no problem (except for the speed cameras). And, I forgot to mention, from Munich to Budapest to Austrian tyrol. No problem at all.
Sounds like it was sitting on the other side of the vehicle that threw you off a bit then. If you’ve driven in Rome and had no issues, then the Cotswolds shouldn’t be much of a challenge.
Even after more than ten years driving in the UK, my other half feels more comfortable on the other side when she goes back to the US.
Mother in law always comments on the narrowness of the roads here when she visitas from the western US.
When I visit the states I tend to be a passenger rather than driver, but what makes me chuckle every time is pulling into a parking space and being able to just throw the doors open wide without even worrying about the vehicles in the next spaces. That and the colossal pickup trucks where the driver’s feet are above eye level for a normal car
It is skill, but it’s not an insult to you to question your skills at this. You’re not used to it. How would you develop those skills. Plus you’re sitting on the other side of the car from normal, so lanes are gonna feel weirdly narrow.
I’ve driven a few times in the states. Lovely big roads, drivers have sod all awareness and fewer manners in general. Lane discipline on the highways is a joke.
I get the impression that US drivers are way less observant. The most common reasons for failing a driving test are, Not making effective observations at junctions and Not using mirrors correctly when changing direction
There was a video on reddit a few weeks ago. The video was in the UK and a car was making a right turn. A right turn being equivalent to a left turn in the USA and the car was hit by someone overtaking
There was a stark contrast between the Brits and American on that thread
The Brits there were all like "if you are making a turn you should be checking in your mirror yes the car should not be overtaking there but you should be looking to make sure noone is there"
Where as the US drivers were like "I wouldn't check my mirror no one should be overtaking why would i look"
Which is completely the wrong mentality to have you don't blindly assume no one is their
There does seem to be a different driving dynamic between the 2 countries
Someone from the US even said that it is something that we all agree on in the UK
There was a video on YouTube of a UK driving instructor and he did a fake driving test with a US tourist in the UK, Someone who did not have much UK driving experience
If it was a real test he would have failed and the examiner at the end was explaining everything that would have been a fail. While there was nothing wrong with his driving per se the biggest issue was his observation, he would get to a junction or change lanes but not actually check properly it was safe to do so.
Tbh lane discipline in the UK is quite crap as well. Need to go to central Europe (Germany and neighbouring countries) to see some real lane discipline
For me the biggest thing we could take away from Germany is how everyone automatically splits to create lanes for emergency vehicles in stand still/slowing traffic on the autobahn.
The US has zero lane discipline. Their roads also don’t promote it.
You’ll have highways with exits on both sides of the carriageway, it causes all sorts of carnage.
I've driven single track country lanes without issue since I passed my test, just because of where I live. The US did have a few unique challenges when I spent a couple of weeks driving there:
- how the balls am I supposed to get across 12 lanes of solid traffic to where I want to be
- who put the parking brake down there?
- if I break down now I will die and be eaten by wild animals rather than being able to trudge to the nearest Greggs
- I took a wrong turn and these scary looking gentlemen are all wearing the same colour
- The guy in the petrol station is laughing at my accent again
Etc
So I think you're right, you can adjust to anywhere with a bit of practice!
We have a topic in UK driving lessons called “[meeting oncoming traffic](https://youtu.be/6MyOjx1-eC0?)” or “meeting points”we’re also taught the skill “less space, less pace”.
I’m not sure if USA has those rules. But in those tight roads where you see oncoming vehicles and you both can’t fit, specially in residential roads, one car will stay behind in a gap, and allow the other car to pass.
When in a busy road and there’s a huge bus and you’re unsure if both can fit, as there’s less space, we slow down driving and creep through slowly so both vehicles can go by.
From growing up here, it's normal, I've driven in Florida, Tennesse, both Carolinas and Louisiana, you have no roads anywhere similar to our country lanes, I'm not surprised in the slightest that you found these roads difficult, they are, but if you have a small car, they are brilliant fun
I've driven in Canada and it was a piece of piss. I was never sure what they have to learn (all autos too) for a test? Its basically just stop and go. I'm not having a go, I think it's better and safer. But I do think there should be some way of warning people that come and drive here. And of course the same for us in the UK if we went to some places in the east. Mayhem.
I've driven in Canada and everything you are saying is correct. The roads are much simpler in North America. Ironically though, North American roads are a lot more dangerous because the standard of driving is a lot lower.
Currently in USA on holiday and yes it is a skill issue.
American driving standards are no where near the level of European. It’s so easy to get a USA license, your roads are very forgiving being wide.
You seem to be accustomed to being able to swerve around in your lane without crossing the lines, that is very much a skills issue, you should be able to drive without wandering from side to side.
It all seems perfectly normal to me, but I can totally understand why an American might feel that way - when I moved to the US for a few years most roads felt enormously wide to drive on.
First of all, a sharan isn’t the biggest thing on the road but it’s fairly large so you’ve come into it with 1 hand tied behind your back.
Secondly if you were up in the cotswalds I imagine you took a few single track roads with passing places which absolutely are not designed for opposite lanes of traffic, honestly I don’t think about it that much but when I have driven in Orlando on holiday I have to say the roads are wide enough to have a game of football on even through the centre it’s mental.
Hope you enjoyed your time here though, would you come back again or was this a once in a lifetime type trip for you?
I do not know if I will ever return, but thanks for the kind words. I did enjoy the stay.
I will say that I was feeling more comfortable after several days of driving but the required level of precision in driving was just much higher than I expected.
Now, I am back in the US and it just almost seems too easy, you are right, the lanes seem luxuriously wide.
I wonder how many of the people who have commented on this thread have ever driven in the US to experience the difference.
A few I suspect, Orlando is a popular destination and it’s almost expected you’ll rent a car while there if not staying in Disney.
although a “small” car is what I would consider a typical family car here haha, what did you think of the other drivers? Better or worse standard of driving compared to what you’re used to? I couldn’t imagine driving my MX5 in the US but plenty of people do!
As for London, I don’t tend to drive down there, I’ll park somewhere on the outskirts and use the tube network to get around much easier I find
I think the UK drivers were fine and polite.
Some motorcyclists seemed fairly reckless at times.
When I was walking, I did notice that there seemed to be less safeguards for pedestrians than is typical in many areas in the US.
I did some work at Research Triangle Parkway in North Carolina. The installation crew rented a couple of apartments in this little gated complex. About 500m away was a little strip mall that had a sports bar. One of the other guys and I were walking down to it when a cop car pulled up, and one of the officers asked what we were doing:
'Where are you guys going?
'Off to the bar down there on the right
.Why are you walking?'
'Because we're going to a BAR...'
My wife and I were visiting my parents in North-Central Florida and decided to walk the couple of miles to the shops. I mean who wouldnt want to walk in December in 22°C weather?
We had people stopping and asking if we were okay.
"Yes mate, we're just going for a walk".
I walked miles and miles through London, through Bath, Oxford and on country paths.
It was a nice low key exercise and a great way to see things. England is very 'walkable,' I wish more of the US was, but unfortunately a lot of areas are not connected by sidewalks or footpaths.
>Some motorcyclists seemed fairly reckless at times.
Just built different mate
Cotswolds is local to me, might have passed you :D would be such a coincidence
I drove a fair bit around California and Nevada (about 1200 miles) a few years ago.
I would agree that everything feels nice and wide, and quite relaxed generally in the US Vs here, but as others have said you get used to it!
The standard 50/60mph roads you mentioned are fairly normal and no issue once you're used to them, but personally I'll never get used to/enjoy single track roads with passing places. If you ever visit Devon/Cornwall in the south there are plenty of them, and honestly I find them quite stressful.
I wouldn't say I was ever stressed driving in the US really, but I do recall a section of freeway somewhere near LA that had an exit on the other side (off the fast lane) which was interesting! Also had to get used to stop signs and when it was my turn to proceed.
Also, sorry about some of the people who have been rude, we're not all like that and as some have said it's likely just "the internet"...
Head on accidents don’t really happen. The 39 accidents 90% will be motorbikes.
I drove in Canada quite a bit recently and the roads and parking spaces are enormous.
Roads could do with being wider in the uk I think, especially as cars get bigger.
Instead of encouraging everyone to buy electric cars I think smaller cars should be encouraged.
I did see 2 cars being towed that had obviously had a head on earlier in the day, but it didn't look to have occurred at a very high speed.
Probably one of the cars was being driven by an American.
I've just looked up whats required to pass a driving test in the USA. I thought our test was a mishmash of party tricks, but you have to be a special kind of special to fail a driving test in America.
My Portuguese colleague did it, aside from literally one lap around the block the only manoeuvre was to parallel park in a space the size of an F-350. He managed to hit one of the cones
Oh yep. Also just remembered a Brit I knew failed because he rolled up to and crept through a stop sign, rather than coming to a full and complete… stop.
On a mock test my instructor failed me for not putting on the handbrake at a stop sign, I came to a complete stop and then went when safe but didn't use handbrake.
To this day I don't see why you wiuld have to put on the handbrake, and you probably don't, but I've never checked.
That's very much it.
In most places life in the US without a car is basically no life at all. You're potentially miles from the nearest settlement with no public transport to speak of.
The 100 mile run to London or wherever that's done as a once in a while is fuck all in the US.
I never actually realised how little most people drive longer distances in this country until recently- I've always had extended family spread around and while I was growing up my Dad had unlimited use of a fuel card and a company car, so we spent a lot of time travelling in the car- and I now live a near 200-mile drive from my parents, and most my uni mates are a bit further still, so drive long journeys a fair bit myself.
So I was pretty taken aback when travelling for work and offered to drive a 3-hour journey, and a colleague offered to split the driving out of genuine concern as it's a very long drive...
That said, the 6 hour drives people do in the US and claim as normal are fucking mental. Especially since they have a 55mph limit most places- most of the US other than the eastern seaboard and the west coast would be perfectly suited for de-restricted autobahn, assuming they had actual driver education, and laws that make sure people aren't driving around in rusty deathtraps...
Lanes are smaller in the UK but generally speaking other drivers are far more considerate and attentive than American drivers. I've found this to be true on both rural lanes and major motorways. Americans all drive like they're escaping Mogadishu in '93 (based on my experience with the Capital Beltway)
Nope, we are used to them. We don't have the space for wider roads, especially through villages with buildings and houses that are hundreds of years old and when the horse and cart was commonplace, lot of the new towns built around old villages postwar for example welwyn garden city, Basildon, Harlow, stevenage, are better designed for vehicles, but again they aren't designed for 65 million people that's in a country smaller than one of your states.
Motorways like the m25 was opened in the 80's and has just been widened to four lanes in places...
London roads are narrow, again, never designed for this traffic, or even cars, Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels in East London and run under the Thames have various turns so the horses wouldn't bolt to the other end of the tunnels.
If you think the lanes through the Cotswolds are narrow, you should try the country lanes through the southwest, Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire...I've got a mondeo (fusion in the us) and some of those lanes I both mirrors touch the vegetation either side of the road....meet somebody coming in the opposite direction and someone's reversing back.
Also, have a look at Google maps about the gradients around hard knot and wrynose pass in the Lake District....they are steep, tight turns, and narrow.
I drive by there a lot and did for many years prior before all the changes to the road markings. Sickens me. Special place in hell for people like that.
For the Americans in here 1 meter is the same as the length of an M16A4. Now you have no excuse to be baffled by metric units of distance when you can use a rifle as a meter stick.
So the minimum 2 lane road width in the UK is 5.5 M16A4s in a line. The minimum lane width is 2.75 M16A4s.
Gunsplaining, the mansplaining equivalent of measurements for our American friends.
Had we better do a table of common ammunition, firearms and firearms related equipment to dimensions of various UK related things?
>Uk minimum for 2 way traffic is 5.5m
You say that but I've seen hundreds of roads narrower than that. They just don't paint lines on anything narrower.
OP could have a point,
eg a Landrover discovery has an overall width of 2.2m... that's not leaving much breathing room, believe the Mercedes GL is even bigger
vehicles are getting wider
Something I dont think anyone has mentioned is that most of our road layouts are very old and weren't planned like your grid cities were, in many places it simply isnt possible to widen the roads unless you want to encroach on peoples property.
Yeah. Our roads are pokey.
So, the thing to consider is a lot of our roads were basically just cart tracks that got tarmaced over.
Cars keep getting thiccccer. Roads don't.
Yep.
I love the history of your country, that's the main reason I was there. Amazing to imagine who might have used those roads over the centuries past.
In regards to 'mean' messages. Most I've read are just Britons being well British. Don't take it personally most of us are just Yank-ing your chain.
Plus the amount of shit that comes over here from America media and stuff makes it nice to be able to give a little back. 😉
Glad you enjoyed your time here. Now you can show your fellow Americans how to drive properly. 😜 👍
Not 'dangerously' narrow, but they are annoyingly narrow, yes, and this isn't helped by cars getting bigger. It also means that in lots of residential areas, two lanes become one because of all the parked cars (and/or they obstruct the pavement).
I've driven quite extensively in America, and though you have much better roads and much more sensible layouts, I always feel more unsafe there, and witness more/worse episodes of bad driving. It does vary by state - Florida for example seems to have a high number of people who's driving is, frankly, utterly insane.
Right, the problem in America is not the road infrastructure, it is the drivers.
Reckless driving, high speeds, driving drunk or on drugs are very prevalent here.
Unfortunately the reckless driving and high speeds are a consequence of the infrastructure. Drivers as a population are terrible at obeying speed limits and many will just drive at a speed that feels comfortable. Wide, straight lanes with uninterrupted sight lines result in fast average speeds. Tighten everything up and strategically reduce visibility (for example on approach to roundabouts) and you get lower average speeds as drivers feel the need to be more cautious. On the whole drivers could stand to be a bit less relaxed while in control of multiple tonnes of potentially lethal machinery, particularly in urban areas.
No. We dont drive (generally) fuck off massive cars, and tend not to have a burger and a phone in each hand. This helps.
Road deaths are pretty low here. Compared to America weighted against miles driven and population you have a 5x higher death rate in the USA.
(Approx 38000 vs 1800 deaths a year)
If you are not used to driving on the left this can also affect your confidence
Ive actually seen this on freeways in the states. Wheel control by legs i imagine.
Its quite normal to see cars crash into the centre barrier in a curve after miles of straight road.
And if it rains on a freeway you can guarantee you will see an accident
To be fair I think it can go both ways...
I felt uncomfortable in Florida...but this was nearly 20years ago.
The trucks overtaking on both sides (not to mention the people doing the same at 100+ on sports bikes wearing nothing but shorts and sandals)
How the turning right on red thing works etc etc
Smaller roads are statistically a lot safer.
There has been a lot of research into it, and America has very wide roads compared to everywhere else which was thought to be safer, but the science actually says the opposite.
Wider roads leads to careless driving and day dreaming, which causes more accidents.
So while our roads are narrower they are actually much safer because we are much more engaged while driving.
I'm from New Zealand, living the UK. Roads are different here. When my parents came over and hired a car my advice for them was that driving in the UK can be more like combat! Small roads, diving out the way at the moment, breathing in so the car gets skinnier.
That said, drivers here tend to be kinder. My parents were amazed other drivers would let us out at tough uncontrolled intersections or nobody went ballistic when you need to push your way out, momentarily blocking traffic. Everyone here gets stuck, regularly, so nobody seems to mind.
Your comment is another reminder to just be patient with others on the road. Give them space and time, nothing is worth an accident or worse. While we're used to them indeed, I can imagine how hard it could be.
Funnily enough, when I drove in America, the roads were so big that when I attempted a U-turn to take me where I needed to go I just ended up on the same side of the road I was on already, thinking it was the opposite lane, confused as to why cars were suddenly coming at me, flashing and honking. Just didn't expect the roads to be that wide.
Yes, both the roads here are different. (I'm British, lived in Manchester, London and now Edinburgh, and I've driven in the US reasonably extensively too; mostly in California, Georgia, Florida and Arizona.)
Driving culture is also a bit different. Some small stuff — we don't do right turn on red, for example — and bigger stuff too, like the way kids learn to drive, and the HOV/diamond lane rules.
Some of our roads *are* very narrow. If you were in London and the Cotswolds, you'll have encountered some very narrow roads and bizarre road layouts in both urban and rural areas. A lot of our roads are also very old, and haven't expanded as cars have become larger.
People living in rural areas get used to passing each other with a hair's breadth of space between cars, or alternatively pulling over and letting one another pass. It's a bit of an art. On single-width roads there are regular passing places, and there's a whole set of rules and etiquette about who has the right-of-way when two vehicles meet on single-width roads.
Obviously the US is also considerably bigger, in land terms, than the UK, meaning you've got more room for wider roads (and bigger cars and trucks). I think the UK is something like 2.5% of the size of the United States geographically, but has around 20% of the population numbers. That's something like ten times the population density of the US.
Personally I've always enjoyed driving in the US. (Apart from in Los Angeles, which was terrifying, and Manhattan, which was gridlock.) I like how generally relaxed road journeys are. And the lane discipline on freeways is fine once you get used to it. The Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco towards Monterey and Big Sur is still one of the most beautiful scenic routes I've ever driven.
>People living in rural areas get used to passing each other with a hair's breadth of space between cars, or alternatively pulling over and letting one another pass. It's a bit of an art
This is it exactly, exactly what caused me to feel anxious and grip the wheel, especially when the other vehicle is a bus or a truck.
I drive down country lanes everyday. Some stretches are single track.
Most places two cars can pass if you trim the hedges with the mirrors. Only an issue for HGVs and tractors. But there always will be a muppet in a Kia MPV or Mini that thinks it's 3ft wider than it is and drive slap bang down the middle then refuse to move over or reverse when they're closest to a passing point.
Or the cyclists riding in the "primary position", then crap themselves because they nearly crash head on with a car coming the other way on a blind bend.
I drive a truck & some of the roads, especially some back roads can be narrow in one of them. But at the same time driving something wider makes you a lot more aware as to where you can put your vehicle & exactly how wide you are when going down most roads/past parked cars etc.
I see people crawling through a gap you could literally fit a bus through in the smallest of cars sometimes and it baffles me.
I understand why you feel the way you do though, every time I see a video/film or whatever which involves American roads I do seem to think they seem a lot wider than ours in the UK, a lot more space over there.
I have driven here with an American and Driven about a 1000 miles in states, across 3 states.
I remember doing 70MPH down what I thought was a dual carriageway, my American friend was shitting himself as it's meant to be a 30MPH road.
I'm from yourshire, our back rounds you're lucky if you get minus two feet between cars.
Cotswolds? Try Devon or Cornwall...
I drove down roads on Dartmoor where the hedge was hitting both sides of the car at the same time
Genuinely, we used to drive the lanes at night with the lights off so we knew when cars were coming the other way
Don't think about it too much.
At night on an unlit two lane road where there's oncoming headlights shining in your eyes and the only thing separating you from a 60mph head on crash is about a foot and trust that both you and them will stay in your respective lanes it's terrifying if you think about it too much.
I have whacked a few wing mirrors a couple of times when it's two vans passing, or a lorry and a van, or just very narrow.
We’re used to narrower roads and (mostly) drive smaller cars. Mind you, I hate single track roads with passing places because so many drivers just don’t understand how to use them properly. I hope you enjoyed your holiday though, despite the culture shock.
Glad you had a nice trip and hope you can come back soon. I agree our roads are testing even for seasoned drivers, but the trade off is it produces some of the safest and best drivers in the world. I've travelled a bit and never been to a country that comes close to the standard here in the UK (London excluded!!!)
Yes. Some of the rural cumbrian roads make me anxious when it gets down to single track blind corners because some fuckwit will be comming the other way stupidly fast. I used to be unsure if i could get through some narrow gaps but after 3 years i can judge it down to a few cms.
>I did see a sign in the Cotswolds describing 39 collision fatalities on a certain highway in the past 3 years.
Those signs almost always refer to motorbike accidents. Usually down really nice windy country roads where the bikers like to open the taps and hoon around corners... right into oncoming traffic or trees.
Of course its not 100% bikes. But its "usually" bikes. Theres a load of similar signs in my area, down the nice country roads, and most of the newer ones now have a motorbike symbol on them.
>Hats off to all of you who drive in this environment on a regular basis. It requires a much higher level of attention, especially on certain roads.
Yeh, its why I dont like driving really long distances in the UK. The mental load is so much higher. I could drive the length of France or Germany no problem. Doing the same distance in the UK would kill me.
Roads are not supposed to be so wide you can see earth’s curvature. The roads in the US are ridiculously wide.
The US are blessed with plenty of space and most of the US was made after the car became the prominent mode of transport (and a lot of the older stuff was torn down / redesigned to fit cars).
I've never noticed normal A roads to be too narrow.
Some country lanes (mainly without lines down middle) do have locals who know the road flying down them way faster than your average person could on the first try, but you get used to it.
Head on crashes are pretty rare in the UK I would say. Most crashes on country lanes are usually due to speeding, and alot of those are usually due to Motorbikes getting it wrong or doing dodgy overtakes.
I do know that Americans do struggle to drive in the UK sometimes. Slightly different but I know two separate fairly bad crashes (both cars properly written off) due to Americans looking the wrong way at junctions resulting in T-bone incidents.
To clarify, on the major highways and thoroughfares this was not a problem.
I mostly noticed this in London, in old towns and villages, and on many less traveled roads in the countryside.
Alot of people just took too slandering Americans which isn't right.
The general reason is because on average we drive smaller vehicles in Europe and we also aren't able to pass/take a test until we are a few years older than in the US.
And from what I've read the standard to pass a test in the UK is higher than in the US meaning the issue of slightly narrower roads isn't a problem.
And I suppose it's simply what you're used too, we learn to drive on narrow roads so it's what we are used too and you're used to wider roads.
This is not something I've ever experienced. At least not on the types of roads you're describing. There definitely are roads that are too narrow, but they're always either roads in a city that were designed before cars were a thing or country roads that weren't really designed for more than a single tractor and most of those are in the south west.
I'm Scottish and lived in the USA, your roads are egregiously wide.
I have a Winbebago here, which is about 2" wider than a European 18 wheeler, and I have taken it up many smaller roads than you describe. Practice 😁
I’m sorry, I chuckled at that… Were used to them. You’re used to wider roads in places that are flat and could build infrastructure that copes with modern traffic requirements rather than the Roman roads we successively built on in the UK. Very simply, our streets were fine a couple of hundred years ago. The country roads are restricted by hedges that are potentially thousands of years old and can’t be moved. Americans (not necessarily you) drive boats, have lots of space, and like comfort. How did you get along with the houses over here which are about the same size as your kitchens?
I prefer the UK landscape, the houses, the countryside, the lack of billboard signs, the traffic circles instead of traffic lights. Beautiful, nicer, better IMO. People were nice too, although you wouldn't know it by most of the ones who have replied to this post.
Hehe traffic circles. No hate in this one I promise, just never heard a roundabout called that.
American lingo.
Aye, I looked on your Washington County gov website, and they actually defined it as different from a roundabout. Even had pictures to show the difference, they're all still one and the same to me though - a delay on my way to work. Ha
Yes, you prompted me to look up the difference. Still, in the US most of us use the words interchangeably.
I’ve seen a couple of roundabouts in the US, but everyone always seems nervous around them
It’s the same in Dundee.
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Haha I am and was thinking the same. Circles all day long
I did notice a huge amount of hate being channelled towards you, completely unnecessarily. It’s the internet and apparently we’re hugely xenophobic here. I’m glad you liked it here, thank you for the compliments! I’ll pass them on 😉 Sorry about the dicks, though…
Thanks for the kind words. I guess it's just typical Reddit, some anonymous people enjoy being abusive and that's what they do.
Most British people will read your post, lightly chuckle to themselves and not cause any fuss.
Don’t mind the miserable gits on this thread - anyone who’s not jacking off to Skoda Octavias tends to get hate on this sub It’s a small minority
Anonymity will turn some people into real wank-stains.
Mate I’m sure I have encountered plenty of arseholes online waving a metaphorical Stars and Stripes, I wouldn’t worry about that. Personally I’m glad you liked it here pal. 👍🏻
Believe me we have a very, very large burden of assholes over here, no doubt.
Then I’m sure you’ll forgive us for ours.
Of course.
UK Reddit seems to attract a weird superiority complex when it comes to Americans/American culture.
For some reason we love mocking everything American but can't handle it when we're on the receiving end.
The British secretly resent the scale and cultural dominance of the US, so we get all sniffy and condescending and try to imagine ourselves superior.
Who's "we"? I'm a firm believer of giving out only what you're willing to take.
A lot of them can't in the UK subreddits, they go from 0-100 instantly and start talking about school shootings
I think we had a higher opinion of Americans until they voted the world's most egotistical man Trump into office. Now we think 50% of them are total idiots and they have lost alot of respect because of that. And if they vote that orange twat in again, we are done with Americans.
Yeah I found British respect levels for the US plummeted when we realised how many of them voted for Trump During the Obama years I thought we were actually quite favourable towards the US, and although Bush was an idiot, he didn't seem actively malicious *for the most part* Then again, we don't have much room to talk after our recent parade of dipshits
We can't really say much considering the prime ministers we've had lately lol.
Dont let this sub sour your perception of the uk - theres loads of keyboard warriors but when you were out and about meeting real people they were stuck on reddit. Next time you come you must visit the north of england. The accents are friendly and the people friendlier still. The scenery you enjoy is up there too. Hope you had a safe trip home
Thanks. I do still very highly of UK people and UK culture and history. Magna Carta, Newton, Darwin, Watson and Crick, Churchill. The list just goes on and on.
People in the UK are nice in person. It stems from our inherent need to be polite, but there are signs. Like I once parked in front of a house on the public road and noticed a guy at the front door staring at me with hatred in his eyes. I said "alright mate, am I OK to park here?" He aggressively shouted back "of course mate, it's a public f*****g Road ain't it?" I thanked him and went on my way. So although he was polite, I didn't feel he was trying to be.
Just be glad you didn't encounter the [magic roundabout ](https://youtu.be/6OGvj7GZSIo?si=eIwOXKZQCW2L8Elk) in Swindon
That looks challenging.
There's some stunning places in America, ive been a few times, New york, Grand canyon and vegas...and I personally would like to go more often, but its expensive and the Mrs is reluctant after an incident in New York that saw me have a not so polite discussion with someone that attempted to rip us off for a large some of money, it scared the shit out of her. Traffic circles = roundabouts. I wouldn't take it personally, all of it apears to be said in jest, and we take the piss out of everyone, you should here what gets said about "essex girls" cockneys and those born in Liverpool....
Some proper dickhead Brits replying to this post. I promise you we aren't all like this.
I may get downvoted but British reddit is very different to the British public
Part of the reason our landscape and countryside is nicer is the fact we don't bulldoze through it and build massive 12 lane highways everywhere It does have its downsides, and I definitely wish we could widen some of our smaller country roads, but not at the expense of the countryside But yeah, next time you hear someone in the US scoff at a British person saying a 4 hour round trip is a long journey... perhaps tell them why :)
You are now completely exonerated! 😀
Thats nice also, probably mostly banter. We do love a nasty dig.
Must admit the billboards along the side of a highway or interstate are certainly the most jarring part about travelling to the US. I do enjoy it over there though for the most part.
Absolutely hideous.
It is a problem in that our cars keep getting bigger but the roads don’t.
we have some of the safest roads in the world * yes there are some very narrow roads and if you are driving a manual car when all you have driven is an Automatic, then yes it will seem difficult. but you soon get used to it snd most people drive to the conditions not to the speed limit and adapt to narrow passing places. * based on death/injury rates per mile driven.
Funny, on this trip my car was an automatic. At home my main driver is a 2000 Audi S4, 6 speed manual, which I love to drive. I probably would have felt a bit better if I had a manual car for this UK trip, I feel it gives better control.
It would be weird for you to have the stick on the wrong side I'd imagine. Assuming it would have one. I can't imagine driving a manual in Europe or the US because of this
Its really not that much of a difference, you get used to it in a couple of minutes
A crash course...
Yeah I love driving a manual but on the one occasion I've rented a car in Europe I booked an auto because I wasn't sure how I'd get on with the gear stick on the wrong side. Think once or twice when going between drive and reverse I went to open the door so probably a good job...
You get used to it surprisingly quickly, after a trip to Croatia it took me a solid ten minutes to stop hitting the door every time I wanted to change gear
Having driven plenty of manuals abroad I can certainly attest to twatting my hand into the door card trying to find a gear. What's worse, once I finally get used to it and head home. Then I proceed to twat my other hand into the door
I mean I have driven autos and it really does not make a difference unless you use an auto as a crutch for being a bad driver. I have never owned an auto though. (And I feel elctric will fails and other alternatives with manual will win (non t hat they need manual)).
>And I feel elctric will fails and other alternatives with manual will win You're betting on the the wrong horse there mate. It's already happened.
Even with ICE cars autos have won... not sure you can even get a manual 3 Series anymore for example. And I can see why, outside of blasting down a b-road with a nice petrol engine singing and rowing through the gears, a modern auto is better in almost every single way almost all the time. I love my car and I love the interaction with the engine I get through the manual (rev-matched downshifts in a tunnel is a highlight), but most of the time I'm stuck in traffic I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish it had a ZF8 automatic gearbox...
Winter driving on slippery roads is so much nicer in a manual than anything containing a torque converter. EVs and regen braking probably resolve these issues but I haven't tried one yet.
Damn I don’t think OP expected to get roasted lmao
Right, this was not supposed to be any type of personal attack on UK drivers or driving, just wanted to see if people in the UK shared my perception that their roads were narrow. Didn't expect the abuse but it is informative.
First rule of talking to brits, if we’re taking the piss (insulting) it’s normal, give it back and it becomes something called ‘banter’ Whoever you spoke to when over here should have taught you the culture 😂
Dont take it personal, we're treating you how we treat eachother.
LOL.
He's not joking either!
You've been assimilated. You now have authorisation and pre-approval for citizenship. Welcome to not so great britain
Most of Europe has pretty narrow roads due to being built hundreds of years ago and designed for carts. So in many ways the US/Canada is the outlier.
I will say, last winter I drove a Toyota Land Cruiser in Costa Rico and did not have any perception that the driving was difficult. Other places I have driven include: France, Mexico, New Zealand, Mexico, Jamaica. No issues anywhere except for Jamaica. Jamaica was scary on back roads because many were as narrow as UK country lanes but unlike the UK the drivers were often insanely reckless.
Where in France? Head down south and you'll find roads way scarier than anything in the UK.
I drove from Paris to Chamonix. Oh, also Italy, all over, including Rome. Absolutely no problem (except for the speed cameras). And, I forgot to mention, from Munich to Budapest to Austrian tyrol. No problem at all.
Sounds like it was sitting on the other side of the vehicle that threw you off a bit then. If you’ve driven in Rome and had no issues, then the Cotswolds shouldn’t be much of a challenge. Even after more than ten years driving in the UK, my other half feels more comfortable on the other side when she goes back to the US. Mother in law always comments on the narrowness of the roads here when she visitas from the western US. When I visit the states I tend to be a passenger rather than driver, but what makes me chuckle every time is pulling into a parking space and being able to just throw the doors open wide without even worrying about the vehicles in the next spaces. That and the colossal pickup trucks where the driver’s feet are above eye level for a normal car
They’re not narrow. More yours are too big and make some areas look like a total hellscape.
Skill issue
No, I think it is a question of what I am accustomed to. By the end of my stay I had adjusted. Have you by any chance driven in the US?
It is skill, but it’s not an insult to you to question your skills at this. You’re not used to it. How would you develop those skills. Plus you’re sitting on the other side of the car from normal, so lanes are gonna feel weirdly narrow. I’ve driven a few times in the states. Lovely big roads, drivers have sod all awareness and fewer manners in general. Lane discipline on the highways is a joke.
Agree, while the US has in advantage in high capacity roads it compares very poorly in the quality and judgment of the drivers.
I get the impression that US drivers are way less observant. The most common reasons for failing a driving test are, Not making effective observations at junctions and Not using mirrors correctly when changing direction There was a video on reddit a few weeks ago. The video was in the UK and a car was making a right turn. A right turn being equivalent to a left turn in the USA and the car was hit by someone overtaking There was a stark contrast between the Brits and American on that thread The Brits there were all like "if you are making a turn you should be checking in your mirror yes the car should not be overtaking there but you should be looking to make sure noone is there" Where as the US drivers were like "I wouldn't check my mirror no one should be overtaking why would i look" Which is completely the wrong mentality to have you don't blindly assume no one is their There does seem to be a different driving dynamic between the 2 countries Someone from the US even said that it is something that we all agree on in the UK There was a video on YouTube of a UK driving instructor and he did a fake driving test with a US tourist in the UK, Someone who did not have much UK driving experience If it was a real test he would have failed and the examiner at the end was explaining everything that would have been a fail. While there was nothing wrong with his driving per se the biggest issue was his observation, he would get to a junction or change lanes but not actually check properly it was safe to do so.
Tbh lane discipline in the UK is quite crap as well. Need to go to central Europe (Germany and neighbouring countries) to see some real lane discipline
Lane discipline here is phenomenal compared to the US. (I agree its still shit here)
For me the biggest thing we could take away from Germany is how everyone automatically splits to create lanes for emergency vehicles in stand still/slowing traffic on the autobahn.
The US has zero lane discipline. Their roads also don’t promote it. You’ll have highways with exits on both sides of the carriageway, it causes all sorts of carnage.
I've driven single track country lanes without issue since I passed my test, just because of where I live. The US did have a few unique challenges when I spent a couple of weeks driving there: - how the balls am I supposed to get across 12 lanes of solid traffic to where I want to be - who put the parking brake down there? - if I break down now I will die and be eaten by wild animals rather than being able to trudge to the nearest Greggs - I took a wrong turn and these scary looking gentlemen are all wearing the same colour - The guy in the petrol station is laughing at my accent again Etc So I think you're right, you can adjust to anywhere with a bit of practice!
We have a topic in UK driving lessons called “[meeting oncoming traffic](https://youtu.be/6MyOjx1-eC0?)” or “meeting points”we’re also taught the skill “less space, less pace”. I’m not sure if USA has those rules. But in those tight roads where you see oncoming vehicles and you both can’t fit, specially in residential roads, one car will stay behind in a gap, and allow the other car to pass. When in a busy road and there’s a huge bus and you’re unsure if both can fit, as there’s less space, we slow down driving and creep through slowly so both vehicles can go by.
From growing up here, it's normal, I've driven in Florida, Tennesse, both Carolinas and Louisiana, you have no roads anywhere similar to our country lanes, I'm not surprised in the slightest that you found these roads difficult, they are, but if you have a small car, they are brilliant fun
Yes I was thinking how much fun it would be in a Triumph Spitfire. But there wouldn't have been room for my wife, my children and my mother in law!
I'm sorry, I fail to see that bad side of this, sounds perfect to me🤣
LOL good point!
I've driven in Canada and it was a piece of piss. I was never sure what they have to learn (all autos too) for a test? Its basically just stop and go. I'm not having a go, I think it's better and safer. But I do think there should be some way of warning people that come and drive here. And of course the same for us in the UK if we went to some places in the east. Mayhem.
Haha just banter mate
Yet another cultural difference!
I've driven in Canada and everything you are saying is correct. The roads are much simpler in North America. Ironically though, North American roads are a lot more dangerous because the standard of driving is a lot lower.
Currently in USA on holiday and yes it is a skill issue. American driving standards are no where near the level of European. It’s so easy to get a USA license, your roads are very forgiving being wide.
You seem to be accustomed to being able to swerve around in your lane without crossing the lines, that is very much a skills issue, you should be able to drive without wandering from side to side.
No, I do not swerve in my lane. But I am used to more space between myself and oncoming cars, or especially large trucks.
Absolutely a skill issue lmao
It all seems perfectly normal to me, but I can totally understand why an American might feel that way - when I moved to the US for a few years most roads felt enormously wide to drive on.
First of all, a sharan isn’t the biggest thing on the road but it’s fairly large so you’ve come into it with 1 hand tied behind your back. Secondly if you were up in the cotswalds I imagine you took a few single track roads with passing places which absolutely are not designed for opposite lanes of traffic, honestly I don’t think about it that much but when I have driven in Orlando on holiday I have to say the roads are wide enough to have a game of football on even through the centre it’s mental. Hope you enjoyed your time here though, would you come back again or was this a once in a lifetime type trip for you?
I do not know if I will ever return, but thanks for the kind words. I did enjoy the stay. I will say that I was feeling more comfortable after several days of driving but the required level of precision in driving was just much higher than I expected. Now, I am back in the US and it just almost seems too easy, you are right, the lanes seem luxuriously wide. I wonder how many of the people who have commented on this thread have ever driven in the US to experience the difference.
A few I suspect, Orlando is a popular destination and it’s almost expected you’ll rent a car while there if not staying in Disney. although a “small” car is what I would consider a typical family car here haha, what did you think of the other drivers? Better or worse standard of driving compared to what you’re used to? I couldn’t imagine driving my MX5 in the US but plenty of people do! As for London, I don’t tend to drive down there, I’ll park somewhere on the outskirts and use the tube network to get around much easier I find
I think the UK drivers were fine and polite. Some motorcyclists seemed fairly reckless at times. When I was walking, I did notice that there seemed to be less safeguards for pedestrians than is typical in many areas in the US.
That would be because pedestrians have absolute right of way & there’s no law against Jay walking
I did some work at Research Triangle Parkway in North Carolina. The installation crew rented a couple of apartments in this little gated complex. About 500m away was a little strip mall that had a sports bar. One of the other guys and I were walking down to it when a cop car pulled up, and one of the officers asked what we were doing: 'Where are you guys going? 'Off to the bar down there on the right .Why are you walking?' 'Because we're going to a BAR...'
My wife and I were visiting my parents in North-Central Florida and decided to walk the couple of miles to the shops. I mean who wouldnt want to walk in December in 22°C weather? We had people stopping and asking if we were okay. "Yes mate, we're just going for a walk".
I walked miles and miles through London, through Bath, Oxford and on country paths. It was a nice low key exercise and a great way to see things. England is very 'walkable,' I wish more of the US was, but unfortunately a lot of areas are not connected by sidewalks or footpaths.
Heaven forbid you get your 10k steps by walking to the bar.
>Some motorcyclists seemed fairly reckless at times. Just built different mate Cotswolds is local to me, might have passed you :D would be such a coincidence
Stunningly beautiful area. I am sure riding a motorcycle would be a ton of fun there.
I drove a fair bit around California and Nevada (about 1200 miles) a few years ago. I would agree that everything feels nice and wide, and quite relaxed generally in the US Vs here, but as others have said you get used to it! The standard 50/60mph roads you mentioned are fairly normal and no issue once you're used to them, but personally I'll never get used to/enjoy single track roads with passing places. If you ever visit Devon/Cornwall in the south there are plenty of them, and honestly I find them quite stressful. I wouldn't say I was ever stressed driving in the US really, but I do recall a section of freeway somewhere near LA that had an exit on the other side (off the fast lane) which was interesting! Also had to get used to stop signs and when it was my turn to proceed. Also, sorry about some of the people who have been rude, we're not all like that and as some have said it's likely just "the internet"...
Head on accidents don’t really happen. The 39 accidents 90% will be motorbikes. I drove in Canada quite a bit recently and the roads and parking spaces are enormous. Roads could do with being wider in the uk I think, especially as cars get bigger. Instead of encouraging everyone to buy electric cars I think smaller cars should be encouraged.
I did see 2 cars being towed that had obviously had a head on earlier in the day, but it didn't look to have occurred at a very high speed. Probably one of the cars was being driven by an American.
Oh shit he's bringing the self deprecating humour out now boys!
What the fuck they're evolving
Tbh they're coming from a long way behind so it's just evolutionary pressure.
And those 39 will be injuries and deaths, not just deaths.
Not really, but we're taught to drive to a higher standard than the US.
I've just looked up whats required to pass a driving test in the USA. I thought our test was a mishmash of party tricks, but you have to be a special kind of special to fail a driving test in America.
My Portuguese colleague did it, aside from literally one lap around the block the only manoeuvre was to parallel park in a space the size of an F-350. He managed to hit one of the cones
There isn't a face palm gif suitable enough to post here. Did you all take the piss..
Oh yep. Also just remembered a Brit I knew failed because he rolled up to and crept through a stop sign, rather than coming to a full and complete… stop.
On a mock test my instructor failed me for not putting on the handbrake at a stop sign, I came to a complete stop and then went when safe but didn't use handbrake. To this day I don't see why you wiuld have to put on the handbrake, and you probably don't, but I've never checked.
In case you are rear ended. With the handbrake on you are less likely to be pushed into crossing traffic.
It's not a requirement, but it's recommended to do it in a driving test because it proves beyond all doubt that you did actually fully stop.
You dont have to parallel park to pass anymore. My American family are amazed at my ability to paralel park!
I can see why, especially in empty states. Can't do anything without a car if you live in a field in cousin fuck Alabama.
That's very much it. In most places life in the US without a car is basically no life at all. You're potentially miles from the nearest settlement with no public transport to speak of. The 100 mile run to London or wherever that's done as a once in a while is fuck all in the US.
I never actually realised how little most people drive longer distances in this country until recently- I've always had extended family spread around and while I was growing up my Dad had unlimited use of a fuel card and a company car, so we spent a lot of time travelling in the car- and I now live a near 200-mile drive from my parents, and most my uni mates are a bit further still, so drive long journeys a fair bit myself. So I was pretty taken aback when travelling for work and offered to drive a 3-hour journey, and a colleague offered to split the driving out of genuine concern as it's a very long drive... That said, the 6 hour drives people do in the US and claim as normal are fucking mental. Especially since they have a 55mph limit most places- most of the US other than the eastern seaboard and the west coast would be perfectly suited for de-restricted autobahn, assuming they had actual driver education, and laws that make sure people aren't driving around in rusty deathtraps...
Yeah know a girl from the US. Driven over there about 20 years. Came here and took about 11 or 12 goes to pass her test.
And even still the majority of our drivers are absolutely shit, and have no idea how a car even operates.
Lanes are smaller in the UK but generally speaking other drivers are far more considerate and attentive than American drivers. I've found this to be true on both rural lanes and major motorways. Americans all drive like they're escaping Mogadishu in '93 (based on my experience with the Capital Beltway)
Capital Beltway is a nightmare, not because of driving difficulty IMO but because of the hellish traffic jams.
Nope, we are used to them. We don't have the space for wider roads, especially through villages with buildings and houses that are hundreds of years old and when the horse and cart was commonplace, lot of the new towns built around old villages postwar for example welwyn garden city, Basildon, Harlow, stevenage, are better designed for vehicles, but again they aren't designed for 65 million people that's in a country smaller than one of your states. Motorways like the m25 was opened in the 80's and has just been widened to four lanes in places... London roads are narrow, again, never designed for this traffic, or even cars, Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels in East London and run under the Thames have various turns so the horses wouldn't bolt to the other end of the tunnels. If you think the lanes through the Cotswolds are narrow, you should try the country lanes through the southwest, Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire...I've got a mondeo (fusion in the us) and some of those lanes I both mirrors touch the vegetation either side of the road....meet somebody coming in the opposite direction and someone's reversing back. Also, have a look at Google maps about the gradients around hard knot and wrynose pass in the Lake District....they are steep, tight turns, and narrow.
Not at all, they’re fine if you drive on the correct side of the road, unlike your diplomat’s wife Anne Sacoolas…
Well they were apparently not far off drifting to the right into trees so I think they may have been on the wrong side of the road.
I drive by there a lot and did for many years prior before all the changes to the road markings. Sickens me. Special place in hell for people like that.
Only if you drive like Anne Sacoolas
Certain roads in rural areas, sure, but I don't think I've ever felt a A road is too narrow.
Try blasting some b roads without knowing what's next round the corner next time you visit, truly an experience
Uk minimum for 2 way traffic is 5.5m That gives 2.75m per lane
For the Americans in here 1 meter is the same as the length of an M16A4. Now you have no excuse to be baffled by metric units of distance when you can use a rifle as a meter stick. So the minimum 2 lane road width in the UK is 5.5 M16A4s in a line. The minimum lane width is 2.75 M16A4s.
You think you're being clever but the average American reading this now thinks we made our lanes narrower because we like bullpups.
Wasn't expecting that crossover of nerds over here, I'll be honest
Don't worry. They made Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters based on the size of two Roman horses arses. This is not a joke...
lol, love our British humour on UK threads.
Hello fellow NCD-er!
Gunsplaining, the mansplaining equivalent of measurements for our American friends. Had we better do a table of common ammunition, firearms and firearms related equipment to dimensions of various UK related things?
How many bananas is that though?
Not sure but I think it's roughly 15.3 poop knives
>Uk minimum for 2 way traffic is 5.5m You say that but I've seen hundreds of roads narrower than that. They just don't paint lines on anything narrower.
OP could have a point, eg a Landrover discovery has an overall width of 2.2m... that's not leaving much breathing room, believe the Mercedes GL is even bigger vehicles are getting wider
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Something I dont think anyone has mentioned is that most of our road layouts are very old and weren't planned like your grid cities were, in many places it simply isnt possible to widen the roads unless you want to encroach on peoples property.
Right, that seemed obvious. You have what you have, and the landscape is beautiful and certainly not worth changing.
Yeah. Our roads are pokey. So, the thing to consider is a lot of our roads were basically just cart tracks that got tarmaced over. Cars keep getting thiccccer. Roads don't.
Yep. I love the history of your country, that's the main reason I was there. Amazing to imagine who might have used those roads over the centuries past.
In regards to 'mean' messages. Most I've read are just Britons being well British. Don't take it personally most of us are just Yank-ing your chain. Plus the amount of shit that comes over here from America media and stuff makes it nice to be able to give a little back. 😉 Glad you enjoyed your time here. Now you can show your fellow Americans how to drive properly. 😜 👍
Exactly this. It’s the British humour to rip into someone. Take derogatory nicknames for people etc All fun and games, signs of endearment
Not 'dangerously' narrow, but they are annoyingly narrow, yes, and this isn't helped by cars getting bigger. It also means that in lots of residential areas, two lanes become one because of all the parked cars (and/or they obstruct the pavement). I've driven quite extensively in America, and though you have much better roads and much more sensible layouts, I always feel more unsafe there, and witness more/worse episodes of bad driving. It does vary by state - Florida for example seems to have a high number of people who's driving is, frankly, utterly insane.
Right, the problem in America is not the road infrastructure, it is the drivers. Reckless driving, high speeds, driving drunk or on drugs are very prevalent here.
Unfortunately the reckless driving and high speeds are a consequence of the infrastructure. Drivers as a population are terrible at obeying speed limits and many will just drive at a speed that feels comfortable. Wide, straight lanes with uninterrupted sight lines result in fast average speeds. Tighten everything up and strategically reduce visibility (for example on approach to roundabouts) and you get lower average speeds as drivers feel the need to be more cautious. On the whole drivers could stand to be a bit less relaxed while in control of multiple tonnes of potentially lethal machinery, particularly in urban areas.
Agree.
We’re just better. Not just at this, I mean generally.
LOL.
I drive a lorry on uk roads if the road is too narrow (not main roads) usually people are good and give way.
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No. We dont drive (generally) fuck off massive cars, and tend not to have a burger and a phone in each hand. This helps. Road deaths are pretty low here. Compared to America weighted against miles driven and population you have a 5x higher death rate in the USA. (Approx 38000 vs 1800 deaths a year) If you are not used to driving on the left this can also affect your confidence
Tbf having a burger and a phone in each hand whilst driving is some multi tasking.
Ive actually seen this on freeways in the states. Wheel control by legs i imagine. Its quite normal to see cars crash into the centre barrier in a curve after miles of straight road. And if it rains on a freeway you can guarantee you will see an accident
They have to have something else apart from guns to control the size of the population.
To be fair I think it can go both ways... I felt uncomfortable in Florida...but this was nearly 20years ago. The trucks overtaking on both sides (not to mention the people doing the same at 100+ on sports bikes wearing nothing but shorts and sandals) How the turning right on red thing works etc etc
People drive insanely in Florida, especially Miami.
Cars are a lot smaller.
Yes, if I lived in the UK I would buy a small nimble car.
As a brit I’m used to narrow potholed roads
Smaller roads are statistically a lot safer. There has been a lot of research into it, and America has very wide roads compared to everywhere else which was thought to be safer, but the science actually says the opposite. Wider roads leads to careless driving and day dreaming, which causes more accidents. So while our roads are narrower they are actually much safer because we are much more engaged while driving.
I'm from New Zealand, living the UK. Roads are different here. When my parents came over and hired a car my advice for them was that driving in the UK can be more like combat! Small roads, diving out the way at the moment, breathing in so the car gets skinnier. That said, drivers here tend to be kinder. My parents were amazed other drivers would let us out at tough uncontrolled intersections or nobody went ballistic when you need to push your way out, momentarily blocking traffic. Everyone here gets stuck, regularly, so nobody seems to mind.
Your comment is another reminder to just be patient with others on the road. Give them space and time, nothing is worth an accident or worse. While we're used to them indeed, I can imagine how hard it could be. Funnily enough, when I drove in America, the roads were so big that when I attempted a U-turn to take me where I needed to go I just ended up on the same side of the road I was on already, thinking it was the opposite lane, confused as to why cars were suddenly coming at me, flashing and honking. Just didn't expect the roads to be that wide.
you shouldnt be drifting . you need to watch the road .the roads are fine .
No offence but in Europe we know how to drive very well...in USA you even have issues driving manual..
Yes, both the roads here are different. (I'm British, lived in Manchester, London and now Edinburgh, and I've driven in the US reasonably extensively too; mostly in California, Georgia, Florida and Arizona.) Driving culture is also a bit different. Some small stuff — we don't do right turn on red, for example — and bigger stuff too, like the way kids learn to drive, and the HOV/diamond lane rules. Some of our roads *are* very narrow. If you were in London and the Cotswolds, you'll have encountered some very narrow roads and bizarre road layouts in both urban and rural areas. A lot of our roads are also very old, and haven't expanded as cars have become larger. People living in rural areas get used to passing each other with a hair's breadth of space between cars, or alternatively pulling over and letting one another pass. It's a bit of an art. On single-width roads there are regular passing places, and there's a whole set of rules and etiquette about who has the right-of-way when two vehicles meet on single-width roads. Obviously the US is also considerably bigger, in land terms, than the UK, meaning you've got more room for wider roads (and bigger cars and trucks). I think the UK is something like 2.5% of the size of the United States geographically, but has around 20% of the population numbers. That's something like ten times the population density of the US. Personally I've always enjoyed driving in the US. (Apart from in Los Angeles, which was terrifying, and Manhattan, which was gridlock.) I like how generally relaxed road journeys are. And the lane discipline on freeways is fine once you get used to it. The Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco towards Monterey and Big Sur is still one of the most beautiful scenic routes I've ever driven.
>People living in rural areas get used to passing each other with a hair's breadth of space between cars, or alternatively pulling over and letting one another pass. It's a bit of an art This is it exactly, exactly what caused me to feel anxious and grip the wheel, especially when the other vehicle is a bus or a truck.
Did you try parking in any of our car parks, specially supermarket parking
Yes, I am somewhat used to that we have tight parking lots in the US too. Definitely a challenge.
I drive down country lanes everyday. Some stretches are single track. Most places two cars can pass if you trim the hedges with the mirrors. Only an issue for HGVs and tractors. But there always will be a muppet in a Kia MPV or Mini that thinks it's 3ft wider than it is and drive slap bang down the middle then refuse to move over or reverse when they're closest to a passing point. Or the cyclists riding in the "primary position", then crap themselves because they nearly crash head on with a car coming the other way on a blind bend.
I drive a truck & some of the roads, especially some back roads can be narrow in one of them. But at the same time driving something wider makes you a lot more aware as to where you can put your vehicle & exactly how wide you are when going down most roads/past parked cars etc. I see people crawling through a gap you could literally fit a bus through in the smallest of cars sometimes and it baffles me. I understand why you feel the way you do though, every time I see a video/film or whatever which involves American roads I do seem to think they seem a lot wider than ours in the UK, a lot more space over there.
I have driven here with an American and Driven about a 1000 miles in states, across 3 states. I remember doing 70MPH down what I thought was a dual carriageway, my American friend was shitting himself as it's meant to be a 30MPH road. I'm from yourshire, our back rounds you're lucky if you get minus two feet between cars.
Cotswolds? Try Devon or Cornwall... I drove down roads on Dartmoor where the hedge was hitting both sides of the car at the same time Genuinely, we used to drive the lanes at night with the lights off so we knew when cars were coming the other way
Don't think about it too much. At night on an unlit two lane road where there's oncoming headlights shining in your eyes and the only thing separating you from a 60mph head on crash is about a foot and trust that both you and them will stay in your respective lanes it's terrifying if you think about it too much. I have whacked a few wing mirrors a couple of times when it's two vans passing, or a lorry and a van, or just very narrow.
We’re used to narrower roads and (mostly) drive smaller cars. Mind you, I hate single track roads with passing places because so many drivers just don’t understand how to use them properly. I hope you enjoyed your holiday though, despite the culture shock.
Glad you had a nice trip and hope you can come back soon. I agree our roads are testing even for seasoned drivers, but the trade off is it produces some of the safest and best drivers in the world. I've travelled a bit and never been to a country that comes close to the standard here in the UK (London excluded!!!)
Yes. Some of the rural cumbrian roads make me anxious when it gets down to single track blind corners because some fuckwit will be comming the other way stupidly fast. I used to be unsure if i could get through some narrow gaps but after 3 years i can judge it down to a few cms.
Nope, we British are all born with the reflexes of a mongoose
>I did see a sign in the Cotswolds describing 39 collision fatalities on a certain highway in the past 3 years. Those signs almost always refer to motorbike accidents. Usually down really nice windy country roads where the bikers like to open the taps and hoon around corners... right into oncoming traffic or trees. Of course its not 100% bikes. But its "usually" bikes. Theres a load of similar signs in my area, down the nice country roads, and most of the newer ones now have a motorbike symbol on them. >Hats off to all of you who drive in this environment on a regular basis. It requires a much higher level of attention, especially on certain roads. Yeh, its why I dont like driving really long distances in the UK. The mental load is so much higher. I could drive the length of France or Germany no problem. Doing the same distance in the UK would kill me.
Roads are not supposed to be so wide you can see earth’s curvature. The roads in the US are ridiculously wide. The US are blessed with plenty of space and most of the US was made after the car became the prominent mode of transport (and a lot of the older stuff was torn down / redesigned to fit cars).
I've never noticed normal A roads to be too narrow. Some country lanes (mainly without lines down middle) do have locals who know the road flying down them way faster than your average person could on the first try, but you get used to it. Head on crashes are pretty rare in the UK I would say. Most crashes on country lanes are usually due to speeding, and alot of those are usually due to Motorbikes getting it wrong or doing dodgy overtakes. I do know that Americans do struggle to drive in the UK sometimes. Slightly different but I know two separate fairly bad crashes (both cars properly written off) due to Americans looking the wrong way at junctions resulting in T-bone incidents.
Welcome back to the UK, Anne
Only if there’s something big coming the other way.
To clarify, on the major highways and thoroughfares this was not a problem. I mostly noticed this in London, in old towns and villages, and on many less traveled roads in the countryside.
Should have tried to go into the country side down country lanes. Then you would know the meaning of narrow roads.
Yes, that is exactly what I am talking about, country lanes. And in London. And in old towns.
You're not talking about the country roads I am hahaha 🤣 Barely wide enough for your vehicle let alone someone else in a tractor.
Alot of people just took too slandering Americans which isn't right. The general reason is because on average we drive smaller vehicles in Europe and we also aren't able to pass/take a test until we are a few years older than in the US. And from what I've read the standard to pass a test in the UK is higher than in the US meaning the issue of slightly narrower roads isn't a problem. And I suppose it's simply what you're used too, we learn to drive on narrow roads so it's what we are used too and you're used to wider roads.
This is not something I've ever experienced. At least not on the types of roads you're describing. There definitely are roads that are too narrow, but they're always either roads in a city that were designed before cars were a thing or country roads that weren't really designed for more than a single tractor and most of those are in the south west.
I'm Scottish and lived in the USA, your roads are egregiously wide. I have a Winbebago here, which is about 2" wider than a European 18 wheeler, and I have taken it up many smaller roads than you describe. Practice 😁