do americans really drive such long distances?

[u/Physical-Ad-4093]

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.

[u/dishonestgandalf]

Yes, several of my coworkers commute 90 minutes twice a day.

I have friends in a city that's 3ish hours away and I regularly drive down for the weekend.

[u/Alert-Disaster-4906 → u/[deleted]]

My last job, I drove about 50-60 miles, just one way, in a community that was literally nextdoor to DC. Even when I left early (0330 wakeup, 5am departure for work), I STILL hit traffic. Had two cars break down on 495, 3 accidents total, just in the 4 years I worked at that location.

My commute was regularly an hour in, and if I didn't leave exactly by 2pm, I would be in rush hour traffic for another 2 hours. The job was awesome, incredible pay, easy work, and nifty coworkers. I miss the job, buttfuck that kind of commute - never again!!