5 ms·

New York is probably the only place in the US where most of the drivers did not learn to drive here. It's the most international city in the US, and a dispropo

New York is probably the only place in the US where most of the drivers did not learn to drive here. It's the most international city in the US, and a disproportionate number of people who use the roads (taxis, delivery drivers, etc) grew up in places that have a traffic system very different that the US's. People in New York routinely run red lights, roll through crosswalks, ride in the shoulder - things that you might encounter in other countries, but are generally considered disrespectful/dangerous in the US. When so many drivers grew up driving in places that tolerate those behaviors (either in their home countries or as native New Yorkers), it creates a road culture that's very different than you'd expect in other parts of America. In other cities, you can take a "trust but verify" approach to traffic. Drivers will respect traffic lights. Pedestrians will cross where they're meant to. People will (only) use the lanes painted on the road. You have to be alert in case an outlier does something differently, but we generally consider those people selfish exceptions. The written rules and the practiced culture deviate immensely in New York. You can't just operate by the rules and expect that everyone else will too.

nobody9999 2y ago
>New York is probably the only place in the US where most of the drivers did not learn to drive here. Yep. They "learned" in Connecticut, New Jersey and Long Island. And that's really scary. As I mentioned, MTA bus drivers are the worst at this sort of thing. And they learned to drive (at least their buses) here in NYC. Got anything else you want to blame on immigrants? It seems to be trending behavior. And more's the pity.
- wkat4242 2y ago
  > Got anything else you want to blame on immigrants? It seems to be trending behavior. And more's the pity. Also, getting a license in many countries is far more difficult than in the US. Where I'm from there aren't even learner permits. The only way to learn is to take lessons with a real instructor and the exam is really strict. Most people fail several times and spend thousands on getting it.
rascul 2y ago
> New York is probably the only place in the US where most of the drivers did not learn to drive here. Not the only place. Many in the Washington DC area learned to drive elsewhere in the country.
Symbiote 2y ago
It's up to the USA (or New York state) to recognize (or not) foreign licences, and to decide how easy (fill in a form) or difficult (take a driving test) it is to swap a foreign licence for a local one. https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/resources-for-non-us-citizens https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/resources-for-non-us-citiz... For example, an American driving licence can be exchanged for a Danish one if an American moves to Denmark, but a Mexican one cannot — they must take the full driving test. https://international.kk.dk/live/transport-and-parking/driving-in-copenhagen/foreign-driving-licences https://international.kk.dk/live/transport-and-parking/drivi...
lancesells 2y ago
If you were to respect things like lights and lanes in NYC you would never get anywhere. I believe the city is generally pretty safe when it comes to pedestrians. Usually deaths are late at night from truck drivers going way too fast in the outer boroughs. This doesn't indicate cities but shows by state and NY is very low compared to others. The worst thing is deaths are up in the country and the "light truck" seems to be a leading factor: https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians24 https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians24
- p3rls 2y ago
  "If you were to respect the lights and lanes you'd never get anywhere" Honestly-- this is why I smoke weed while I drive around NYC because if I didn't I would maul one of you traffic malthusians with a steel pipe.

nobody9999 2y ago

>New York is probably the only place in the US where most of the drivers did not learn to drive here. Yep. They "learned" in Connecticut, New Jersey and Long Island. And that's really scary. As I mentioned, MTA bus drivers are the worst at this sort of thing. And they learned to drive (at least their buses) here in NYC. Got anything else you want to blame on immigrants? It seems to be trending behavior. And more's the pity.

wkat4242 2y ago
> Got anything else you want to blame on immigrants? It seems to be trending behavior. And more's the pity. Also, getting a license in many countries is far more difficult than in the US. Where I'm from there aren't even learner permits. The only way to learn is to take lessons with a real instructor and the exam is really strict. Most people fail several times and spend thousands on getting it.

rascul 2y ago

> New York is probably the only place in the US where most of the drivers did not learn to drive here. Not the only place. Many in the Washington DC area learned to drive elsewhere in the country.

Symbiote 2y ago

It's up to the USA (or New York state) to recognize (or not) foreign licences, and to decide how easy (fill in a form) or difficult (take a driving test) it is to swap a foreign licence for a local one. https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/resources-for-non-us-citizens https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/resources-for-non-us-citiz... For example, an American driving licence can be exchanged for a Danish one if an American moves to Denmark, but a Mexican one cannot — they must take the full driving test. https://international.kk.dk/live/transport-and-parking/driving-in-copenhagen/foreign-driving-licences https://international.kk.dk/live/transport-and-parking/drivi...

lancesells 2y ago

If you were to respect things like lights and lanes in NYC you would never get anywhere. I believe the city is generally pretty safe when it comes to pedestrians. Usually deaths are late at night from truck drivers going way too fast in the outer boroughs. This doesn't indicate cities but shows by state and NY is very low compared to others. The worst thing is deaths are up in the country and the "light truck" seems to be a leading factor: https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians24 https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians24

p3rls 2y ago
"If you were to respect the lights and lanes you'd never get anywhere" Honestly-- this is why I smoke weed while I drive around NYC because if I didn't I would maul one of you traffic malthusians with a steel pipe.