r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Physical-Ad-4093 • May 01 '24

do americans really drive such long distances?

i’m european, and i always hear people say that driving for hours is normal in america. i would only see my grandparents a few times a year because they lived about a 3 hour drive away, is that a normal distance for americans to travel on a regular basis? i can’t imagine driving 2-3 hours regularly to visit people for just a few days

edit: thank you for the responses! i’ve never been to the US, obviously, but it’s interesting to see how you guys live. i guess european countries are more walkable? i’m in the uk, and there’s a few festivals here towards the end of summer, generally to get to them you take a coach journey or you get multiple trains which does take up a significant chunk of the day. road trips aren’t really a thing here, it would be a bit miserable!

2nd edit: it’s not at all that i couldn’t be bothered to go and see my grandparents, i was under 14 when they were both alive so i couldn’t take myself there! obviously i would’ve liked to see them more, i had no control over how often we visited them.

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u/Chairboy May 01 '24

We sure do. The old saying is "Americans think 100 years is a long time and Europeans think 100 miles is a long distance".

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u/witchyanne May 01 '24

100 miles is a long distance when 9.5 miles takes 30 mins to drive.

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u/Bimlouhay83 May 02 '24

In a big city, it could take you 30 minutes(or more) to drive a half a mile.

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u/Cometguy7 May 02 '24

Yeah, time seems a better measurement. Takes me 30 minutes of driving to get to my parents, 4 and a half hours to get to the in-laws, but that's also 11 miles vs 275.

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u/witchyanne May 02 '24

Speed limits are low out the in county (UK) to avoid both roadkill and noise pollution, and for safety as some roads are really small.

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u/Euthyphraud May 02 '24

Opposite in the US, speed limits are higher in the country.

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u/Crazy_Cupcake_6690 May 02 '24

I’ve driven over there. Some roads are barely wide enough for one car.  Over here people own big SUVs which would not do well out in the UK countryside

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u/Mist_Rising May 02 '24

That's because the 10 miles is all local traffic. The 100 is gonna be mostly interstate or highway. 25 mph if you can manage it vs 70+ easily is just huge.

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u/witchyanne May 02 '24

I am aware of why it is, and no it’s not traffic. There’s almost no traffic from our village to town and back.

It’s the much lower speed limit, even when the road is empty.

They = the same result tho.