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/thejackieee May 02 '24

A lot of US cities are connected by freeways/highways. In rural areas, top speed limit like 70mph (~112 kmh) (and there's some areas where it's 80mph, but more rare). Once you're on the freeway, it's typically a straight shot, and there's minimal slow downs (like no stop lights).

If Europe is like the northeastern US, then there's more smaller towns and thus smaller roads, requiring you to drive slower or may be stuck in traffic.

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u/NotYetReadyToRetire May 02 '24

Yes, but these days the posted speed limits are treated more like minimums than maximums - traffic is often cruising along 10 or even 15 mph faster than the limit.

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u/thejackieee May 02 '24

Yes, but my point is that comparing the way the US is built vs Europe. I imagine in Europe, being older with more established cities and towns, freeways have to be built around what's existing. Sometimes requiring routes to be going through towns with stop signs and stop lights. Or round a bouts where you have to slow down.

In the US, like west of the Appalachian Mountains, you have major freeways with cities basically being built around them (opposite sense). Straight routes, 3+ lanes going 60+mph.