1e9083e0   
   XPost: misc.phone.mobile.iphone, comp.mobile.android   
   From: pmcook@gte.net   
      
   On Thu, 10 Dec 2015 14:59:20 -0500, (PeteCresswell) wrote:   
      
   > 4. If they cross a line, they do it with their turn signal flashing.   
   >    And it starts flashing well *before* they cross the line.   
      
   Yes. I agree. This is a good observation.   
   They start the turn-signal flashing earlier than Americans do.   
   Far earlier.   
      
   > 5. They are (or, at least, were...) all playing by the same   
   >    rules - although this may have changed since the Eurozone   
   >    got off the ground.   
      
   Yes. In the USA, you may find a few people who know the rules of the   
   road (e.g., when a truck passes, you flash him with your headlights   
   so he knows he can pull back in front of you, and then he flashes his   
   brake lights twice to indicate a thank you).   
      
   But, in Germany, it seemed *most* people knew the rules of the road!   
   Far more than the Americans seem to.   
      
   > Something to do with having to take driving lessons to get a license   
   > plus, as a people, pretty much owning the concept of respect for   
   > authority is my guess....   
      
   One place you'll find more consistency here in the USA is bikers   
   know how to properly take turns (it's a catenary, and not an ellipse,   
   for example, if you have the room) and how to downshift while   
   panic stopping, etc.   
      
   That's because almost all bikers take a few classes during their   
   lifetime in safe riding skills.   
      
   But cagers think they know it all, and, well, as I have said many   
   times, driving is an inherently simple task. Of course, if you   
   ask 100 drivers if they're better than average, about 99 of them   
   will swear they are, which is funny, when you think about it.   
      
   A better-than-average driver should have a few things, which we   
   could discuss ad infinitum, but, which might include the following:   
   a. Never once in his life have had an accident (fault or no fault)   
   b. Many times have taken additional training (like bikers do)   
   c. Never once in his life have had a moving violation (duh)   
   d. Intimately know his engine and handling and suspension   
   e. Know the coefficients of friction of his brake pads, for example.   
   e. etc.   
      
   PS: My brake pad coefficients for cold/hot friction are FF, by way   
       of example. What are yours?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)