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I now interrupt your regularly scheduled WWIII/Nothing Ever Happens to ask a question:
So, the Bike discussion down below generated a lot of angst and heat, so I'd like to poll The Motte on our driving habits a bit (in the CW thread because I do fear we are going to get some strong feelings).
How do we feel about the following:
You should turn on your turn signal every time you switch lanes or otherwise would be expected to use it, even if nobody is around.
Stop signs and red lights need to be fully stopped at, even if nobody is around and you know there isn't a red light camera.
Speed limits should be followed to the letter when possible.
The left lane is for passing only, and also, if you are in that lane and not passing and someone cuts you off or rides your bumper, that is fine.
If someone does not make room for you and you need to come over (and properly signaled) you can cut them off guilt free.
I can break some of these rules (or others) but other drivers should not.
Any other possible driving scissor statements?
If you'd like to be mad at me: Yes, Yes, No, Yes with qualification, Yes, No.
The point of the turn signal is to signal, it's pointless to do when nobody's around so if you're completely certain, there is no need. It's hard to be completely certain however, so lean on doing it all the time to build habit.
Same here, unless you're truly in the middle of the desert, these exist to regulate traffic and force you to look at potentially dangerous intersections, so lean on stopping unless you have good reason not to.
Speed limits are one of the stupidest conventions we have when it comes to traffic. Everyone seems to agree that it's better and safer to drive at the speed of the traffic, and nobody actually drives at a comfortable margin away from the speed limit so following the letter of the law actually puts you in danger.
Given this arised somewhat naturally out of the speed limit setup, I'm not sure if there's a better way to deal with this than what everyone's doing: driving safely most of the time and trying to abide by the law whenever cops or radars are around.
No limit autobahns and cops that stop you when you're truly being reckless doing 300+ and treating the road like a racetrack would probably be better, but those require a level of trust most non-germans can't afford.
If you're on the left lane and not passing you're an asshole. But just because people are assholes don't mean you should endanger your life to teach them a lesson. Never pass from the right unless that's the most safe thing you can do in that situation.
If you're not in the right lane and you need to cut off people, you're just not driving properly. Don't be an asshole, don't endanger people, wait for the next exit.
Kant is unimpeachably right about traffic laws. All driver ethics must be universalizable insofar as it applies to public roads. I would accept people breaking the laws only in a true emergency (life and death sort of deal), so I would only do so in such.
The thing is that yield sign exists. It is pointless to have both stop and yield in the same logical system. Heavy traffic and yield will force you to stop. With light traffic stop is pointless.
My parents visited China where stop lights are all yields. They were happy to return to Albuquerque driving.
I've been to China plenty. Their driving norms are hard to take. Someone on a scooter making an illegal left hand turn starting from the right side of the road through multiple lanes of traffic. I'm cringing watch him weave through cars going both ways.
City busses don't slow down for or avoid pedestrians. You need to proactively get out of the bus's way. I've seen a few people almost get hit by busses. They don't have our very American understanding of pedestrian right of way.
People driving with no seat belt and pulling it across their body as they approach the seat belt cameras, then letting it go when past the cameras. More effort than just wearing a seat belt.
Taxi drivers aren't the person on the taxi license. One was clearly underaged and smoking.
It sounds like all of Latin America- this is probably pretty standard for developing countries.
Yeah, my coworkers say the same thing about driving in India.
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