One of the biggest adjustments I've had to make since moving to NC has been my driving style. OK - I didn't really change my style, because I REFUSE to be like all the other NC drivers. I miss the in-your-face style of the Northeast - you're all trying to get somewhere in a big hurry and if someone gets in your way you're expected to honk, gesture, cut them off and scream (with the windows down for full effect). The really cool thing is that other drivers who witnessed the 'infraction' (and a few who didn't) will join gleefully in honking, gesturing, etc. until the offending driver gets the point.
Here in North Carolina, you're allowed to stop your car in the middle of the street to have a 10-minute conversation with your neighbor who is out walking his dog - because what you have to say just can't wait until your car is in your garage 100 feet away. The bizarre thing is that the 16 motorists stuck behind you will wait patiently until you've finished your conversation. If they know you (or your neighbor), they might even get out of their car and join in the fun! Now, some of you are thinking "Ain't that nice? I wish we had that kind of community where I live!" I encourage all who feel this way to head up to NJ and try it out - PLEASE! That way we won't have to deal with you ever again.
Actually I'm a 'share the road' kind of guy. Unfortunately, this doesn't fly in NJ. Shortly after moving there, I was driving on a busy highway and noticed someone trying to make a turn to get onto the same road. In my cluelessness, I slowed down and motioned for the other driver to pull onto the road in front of me. This shocked him to the point that he could not move, and the horns started sounding behind me. By the time he snapped out of it, it was too late. The horns kept blaring and the guy I tried to help stared daggers at me as I passed.
It took me a couple more times to figure out that drivers in NJ didn't want my help. They'll wait for the tiniest opening, cut someone off and risk their lives rather than accept charity. But somehow, it works. In 5 years of commuting 30+ miles each way, I can remember only 2-3 serious highway accidents. This is good because if there's an accident on a NJ highway, your best bet is to get off at the next exit (assuming you can get there), get a motel room and wait 'til the next day to get back on the road. (Tip: Back-roads don't work when there's an accident in NJ because 1,000,000 other motorists are all trying the same thing!)
Given a choice, I'll take NJ driving any day. It's easy to allow for traffic patterns and plan your trip accordingly. The problem in NC is you don't know how many 'conversations' and pokey-left-lane-drivers (a great way to commit suicide in NJ) you're going to run into. Sometimes I drive on I-95 in NC just to get a taste of what I'm missing. You see, I-95 is how everyone in the Northeast gets to Florida (they all go there eventually), so there's bound to be a bunch of 'Yankees' on it at any given time.
Maybe I'll head over there today. It's always good to be among horns - and friends :).
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When I first moved here from Texas what struck me about the drivers in NC was how they all had NASCAR stickers on their SUVs. They also all thought it was okay to tailgate at 60 miles an hour and that none of them seemed to know how to work their turn signals. What they like to call highways here? in Texas we call service roads. I've been here three years now and every day I find something else about these people that makes me crazy.
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