Arriving in a large metropolitan area is a real challenge for a driver who is not used to driving in such a condition. In the United States, there are more than 50 cities that are home to more than half a million people, with the largest city of New York that nearly 20 million people call their home.
Navigating through American urban jungles can be tricky because of the lack of proper roads, traffic jams, and narrow streets. In order to survive driving in large US cities, here are X important tips.
A common sight
Before you are ready to navigate the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago or Seattle, you need to know what to expect. Traffic jams, large groups of pedestrians, delivery scooters and bicycles, stop-and-go driving, and bumper-to-bumper traffic are all a common sight in large urban areas. These factors are not favorable but they shouldn’t make you agitated and force you to lose your calm. You’re going to need a lot of composure driving into America’s largest cities.
Avoiding rush hour: The ideal hours to drive
As people leave for work and return from it, traffic jams are worse than usual. The peak times are between 7 AM and 9 AM and in the afternoon between 3 PM and 6 PM. If you can choose the time of the day to drive through a metropolitan area, then definitely avoid these time windows that are considered rush hours in most cities. In terms of traffic, the best periods to drive is Saturday evening when the least number of cars are on the streets.
Be on the lookout for cabs
Staying safe while driving inside a big city is a priority and if there is a single type of drivers that you should look out for, then those are definitely taxi drivers. They are known to change lanes without signaling or swerve in an instant because they have spotted a potential customer.
Cabbies who don’t know the city grid well use GPS navigation, about which you can get more info od DrivrZone.com to drive passengers, so their eyes are more on the screen than on the road. To sum it up, try not to drive too close to a yellow cab.
Stay in the right lane
Whether you are heading down a 6-lane boulevard or driving on an expressway within city limits, you need to constantly check if you’re in the right line. A normal road has one or two lanes so you can’t go much wrong but roadways in big cities usually 2 and more lanes so you need to be sure you’re in the right one. This way, you’ll end up among slower and more conscious drivers.
Getting used to crosswalks
In cities, crosswalks are everywhere but not all of them have traffic lights to regulate them. Sure, in the center of the city, you can rely on the red light but as you drive through various suburban communities, pedestrians will start popping out of nowhere so be sure to slow down when you a sign for a pedestrian crosswalk up ahead.
Parked cars on both sides
There isn’t a densely populated urban area in the States that doesn’t have a problem with parking. That’s why there are parking lots on each side of the road in many streets that you should be aware of. This means that people will run across the road to get to their car and park up suddenly coming to a stop. Their behavior is an open invitation for a collision so open all four when driving through such streets. Another common problem is parallel parking, which requires extra patience on your side.
If you head for a large US city unprepared, you might find yourself losing your nerves and a rearview mirror at best. Be a passive driver to stay out of trouble!
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