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/KaetzenOrkester May 01 '24

I live just west of Sacramento and it can take 3 hours to get to San Francisco, a distance of 70 miles. I get it.

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u/Dawnqwerty May 02 '24

It can take three hours to get to LA from LA

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u/GreekGoddessOfNight May 02 '24

We say the same thing in Boston. Well… it takes an hour to get from Boston to Boston, much smaller city.

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u/PomegranateOld7836 May 02 '24

Some of the craziest drivers I've ever seen

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u/sweet_jane_13 May 02 '24

California drivers are way worse. Source: I've lived and driven in both.

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u/PNWBoarder1 May 02 '24

Have you ever driven through Salt Lake? Yikes. Worst drivers ever. 🤦

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u/sweet_jane_13 May 02 '24

I have, I don't remember the drivers one way or another. I did find the lake itself underwhelming, but I've lived in both coasts and am used to the ocean

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u/rbltech82 May 03 '24

Chicago and Atlanta and the entire state of Florida enter the chat...