Why are so many people scared of driving while abroad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate driving. Here, anywhere. So if I can avoid it, I do.

Because people in the USA suck at it? Try driving in Germany or Japan where people actually obey rules and laws. It's so easy to get around safely when people obey laws.

[Anonymous]

More narrow roads. Hard to get automatic transmissions. Signs in a foreign language. Parking can be challenging in tourist areas. Laws differ. Customs/traffic safety culture is unfamiliar. You want to see the scenery, and perhaps have wine with dinner. Jet lag.

None of that makes for a relaxing vacation, when paired with driving responsibilities.

You are not some impressive God OP. We just have a different idea of what a great vacation looks like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lame brag post.

Vehicle accidents are the #1 cause of death for Americans abroad.
https://time.com/4250811/travel-safety/

You may be a great driver, but don’t assume others are.

Standards of emergency care and availability of trauma centers can also differ from US, even in countries with advanced tech. Road rules may also be ignored, again even in countries with good police and legal systems. Or you may not understand local rules. Road lighting, street markings, and signs can be different and it only takes one mistake to end up in a major accident.

People who treat driving as a low risk activity are foolish.

Read the previously cited article. It was not including “natural” deaths.

This says heart attacks are #1.

https://dan.org/health-medicine/travelers-med...%20years%20of%20age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Countries I have driven in:

USA
UK
Canada
Iceland
France
Holland (where I got a ticket for 3 kmh over on the motorway)
Belgium
Italy
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Singapore
Uganda
South Africa
Senegal
Botswana
US Virgin Islands (I say "country" because they drive on the wrong side of the road there)
Texas
Florida

Texas? Florida? Other countries ? Have I missed something on the news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’ve rented cars on six continents but there are countries I won’t do so in. We only rent cars in countries where we’re reasonably comfortable with the legal system in case of an accident. I would never rent a car in a place where I felt that was a particular threat.

Oh yeah, being strong armed by police looking for bribes can be an issue in many countries.

OP feels superior, which is laughable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve rented cars on six continents but there are countries I won’t do so in. We only rent cars in countries where we’re reasonably comfortable with the legal system in case of an accident. I would never rent a car in a place where I felt that was a particular threat.

Oh yeah, being strong armed by police looking for bribes can be an issue in many countries.

OP feels superior, which is laughable.

Ha!

Typical dumb scaredy cat American. You could be strong armed by a cop simply walking about.

Most of the time cops want nothing to do with tourists 99.99999% of the time because they're a PITA due to language barriers and the potential for international conflict.

You can drive all over Thailand and get stopped at numerous checkpoints in the north in the Golden Triangle area or near borders where humans trafficking occurs. I've done it many, many times and had zero problems because they just do not want the trouble.

[Anonymous]

Hell, there are corrupt cops everywhere in America. Go read up on the horror stories American citizens have faced simply driving around where they've been stopped by corrupt cops in smaller towns and cities who take thousands of dollars from them using civil forfeiture. Yet I bet that doesn't scare you away from doing road trips in America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More narrow roads. Hard to get automatic transmissions. Signs in a foreign language. Parking can be challenging in tourist areas. Laws differ. Customs/traffic safety culture is unfamiliar. You want to see the scenery, and perhaps have wine with dinner. Jet lag.

None of that makes for a relaxing vacation, when paired with driving responsibilities.

You are not some impressive God OP. We just have a different idea of what a great vacation looks like.

Nearly everywhere worth traveling has signs in Roman alphabet.

This post is so dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate driving. Here, anywhere. So if I can avoid it, I do.

Because people in the USA suck at it? Try driving in Germany or Japan where people actually obey rules and laws. It's so easy to get around safely when people obey laws.

My parents are from suburban Houston. They *hate* driving in DC (where I live) and complain about it all the time because "it's harder". Now add foreign languages, rules, and street signs & you know why Americans aren't the greatest drivers abroad.

[Anonymous]

I'm scared of driving at home!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More narrow roads. Hard to get automatic transmissions. Signs in a foreign language. Parking can be challenging in tourist areas. Laws differ. Customs/traffic safety culture is unfamiliar. You want to see the scenery, and perhaps have wine with dinner. Jet lag.

None of that makes for a relaxing vacation, when paired with driving responsibilities.

You are not some impressive God OP. We just have a different idea of what a great vacation looks like.

Nearly everywhere worth traveling has signs in Roman alphabet.
This post is so dumb.

I find it easier to navigate around cities where street names are things like River Rd, Mountain View Rd, Revolution Square, or East-West Boundary Blvd. I have more trouble navigating in foreign languages even when written in the Roman alphabet, because I don't know the words for square, blvd, east-west or road in Czech, nor the names for mountain or river in Norwegian, so I can't store the name of the street I'm looking at in my brain easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate driving. Here, anywhere. So if I can avoid it, I do.

Because people in the USA suck at it? Try driving in Germany or Japan where people actually obey rules and laws. It's so easy to get around safely when people obey laws.

My parents are from suburban Houston. They *hate* driving in DC (where I live) and complain about it all the time because "it's harder". Now add foreign languages, rules, and street signs & you know why Americans aren't the greatest drivers abroad.

Think of all the cars with out of state plates around the Mall. I recall seeing a couple in a minivan with Oklahoma plates screaming at each other as they got in the wrong lane near the Lincoln memorial and headed over Memorial Bridge towards Arlington Cemetery.

I've learned what lane I need to be in to exit where I want to go. I don't have that automatic knowledge in other cities, and phone directions can tell you too late or often too early.

[Anonymous]

I never learned manual, and it's just not fun for us. We use the train, the bus, uber to get to places we want to go. And if we really want to get out to the country where those aren't available we hire a driver.

[Anonymous]

1. Europeans drive super fast on tight curvy roads.

2. Some countries like Italy have speed cameras every 2 feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never learned manual, and it's just not fun for us. We use the train, the bus, uber to get to places we want to go. And if we really want to get out to the country where those aren't available we hire a driver.

I've rented four times, and they've had automatic every time. Granted the rental is a bit more expensive, but the price has always been on par with what I pay for an automatic here. I won't mention the gas prices overseas.