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I also never understood the social norm of not wearing a seatbelt in a taxi, but went along with it for my first few years living in New York. I think the ment

I also never understood the social norm of not wearing a seatbelt in a taxi, but went along with it for my first few years living in New York. I think the mention of "some dude yelling in some foreign language" is unnecessary. A person's native tongue says nothing of their intellectual capacity, nor of their ability to safely navigate a city.

hackinthebochs 11y ago
Considering the driving conventions in some other countries where lawlessness is the norm, I think the mention of yelling in a foreign language adds information.
fffrad 11y ago
There is a culture of not wearing the seat belt as a sign of trust. When I was in Egypt, I'd get in the cab, wear my seat belt and the driver will look at me weird. "So you don't think I can drive?" A few years later, the police started enforcing the law and most cabs didn't even have seat belts. You would get in and find a sort of belt that doesn't even tighten, hacked together only to circumvent the law. Not to say that in the US it is any better. If you wear a seat belt while in the back seat, you are considered weird. It is a stigma that is not easy to get rid of especially for the younger generation. Side note: I do get some dude yelling in English too. So yes, it is irrelevant.
- jaredsohn 11y ago
  >If you wear a seat belt while in the back seat, you are considered weird. Citation? I am sure this is true for some people, but this does not match my own experience or what I can find when searching the web.
  - MichaelApproved 11y ago
    Citation? The comment is the citation. OP is giving you personal experience.
    - jaredsohn 11y ago
      While I view the Egypt portion of the comment as a personal experience, the US portion seems to be making claims that are more general.
- onion2k 11y ago
  If you wear a seat belt while in the back seat, you are considered weird. By definition doing anything outside of "normal" is weird, but in the case of social conventions it's usually because people just haven't thought about it enough. I'd rather be considered weird than be in a crash without a seatbelt on.
- jmedwards 11y ago
  "It isn't you I don't trust - it's all the other drivers out there!"
chrissyb 11y ago
" in some foreign language" is indeed irrelevant, I don't believe the "some dude yelling" (talking) is however. I've read different studies that suggest talking on the phone even while using bluetooth is severely distracting for the driver. Andedotally, I've been in cars with taxi drivers who were on the phone when I got in and talked for the entire ride, whilst navigating a city traffic, while also looking at their gps to work out where I needed to go. I did not feel safe in the slightest. If it ever happens again I'd like to think I could ask them in a polite way to end the conversation or exit the cab, but how?
- MichaelApproved 11y ago
  For me, "yelling in some foreign language" is more disturbing because I don't know the argument he/she is trying to make. Is the yelling/frustration warranted or not? Granted, when you're yelling at people on the street, it's likely roadrage and unwarranted in any language but, admittedly, that sense of rationality is slightly depressed in this situation.
mreiland 11y ago
Not only that, the professional driver is probably better at it than the poster...
- jacalata 11y ago
  Probably, yes. Taxis in NYC crash about half as much as other cars per mile: http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/crash06.htm http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/crash06.htm
hjura 11y ago
Personally I never understood why to don't wear a seatbelt in any vehicle, even in a bus if there available I wear it. Just because sometimes it does not depends on you, and even the best drivers can have an accident.

hackinthebochs 11y ago

Considering the driving conventions in some other countries where lawlessness is the norm, I think the mention of yelling in a foreign language adds information.

fffrad 11y ago

There is a culture of not wearing the seat belt as a sign of trust. When I was in Egypt, I'd get in the cab, wear my seat belt and the driver will look at me weird. "So you don't think I can drive?" A few years later, the police started enforcing the law and most cabs didn't even have seat belts. You would get in and find a sort of belt that doesn't even tighten, hacked together only to circumvent the law. Not to say that in the US it is any better. If you wear a seat belt while in the back seat, you are considered weird. It is a stigma that is not easy to get rid of especially for the younger generation. Side note: I do get some dude yelling in English too. So yes, it is irrelevant.

jaredsohn 11y ago
>If you wear a seat belt while in the back seat, you are considered weird. Citation? I am sure this is true for some people, but this does not match my own experience or what I can find when searching the web.
- MichaelApproved 11y ago
  Citation? The comment is the citation. OP is giving you personal experience.
  - jaredsohn 11y ago
    While I view the Egypt portion of the comment as a personal experience, the US portion seems to be making claims that are more general.
onion2k 11y ago
If you wear a seat belt while in the back seat, you are considered weird. By definition doing anything outside of "normal" is weird, but in the case of social conventions it's usually because people just haven't thought about it enough. I'd rather be considered weird than be in a crash without a seatbelt on.
jmedwards 11y ago
"It isn't you I don't trust - it's all the other drivers out there!"

chrissyb 11y ago

" in some foreign language" is indeed irrelevant, I don't believe the "some dude yelling" (talking) is however. I've read different studies that suggest talking on the phone even while using bluetooth is severely distracting for the driver. Andedotally, I've been in cars with taxi drivers who were on the phone when I got in and talked for the entire ride, whilst navigating a city traffic, while also looking at their gps to work out where I needed to go. I did not feel safe in the slightest. If it ever happens again I'd like to think I could ask them in a polite way to end the conversation or exit the cab, but how?

MichaelApproved 11y ago
For me, "yelling in some foreign language" is more disturbing because I don't know the argument he/she is trying to make. Is the yelling/frustration warranted or not? Granted, when you're yelling at people on the street, it's likely roadrage and unwarranted in any language but, admittedly, that sense of rationality is slightly depressed in this situation.

mreiland 11y ago

Not only that, the professional driver is probably better at it than the poster...

jacalata 11y ago
Probably, yes. Taxis in NYC crash about half as much as other cars per mile: http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/crash06.htm http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/crash06.htm

hjura 11y ago

Personally I never understood why to don't wear a seatbelt in any vehicle, even in a bus if there available I wear it. Just because sometimes it does not depends on you, and even the best drivers can have an accident.