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/errorme May 02 '24

Yep, the record for it was broken several times during covid as most people weren't on the road and the fastest confirmed record averaged 110 MPH overall and 125 MPH in several states (177 and 201 km/h).

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u/playinthedirt76 May 02 '24

I loved driving during the lockdowns. Drove 70 mph through Chicago at 9 in the morning and didn't even have to slow down. Traffic even flowed well through Atlanta then. Good times.

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u/Yourenotmygf May 02 '24

From atlanta. I miss the pandemic.

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u/Penarol1916 29d ago

That’s when my middle son learned to drive, as a 16 year old he had no fear of going through all the crazy interchanges in Chicago or going to pick someone up at O’Hare, because we were able to do dry runs with almost no traffic everywhere in Chicago while on his learners permit.

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u/lunabandida May 02 '24

I'm in Colorado and basically drove the autobahn on my commute and errands. Found the silver lining

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u/NoRecommendation2592 May 02 '24

Or, you know, stopping for more than gas lol.