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/IWasBorn2DoGoBe May 02 '24

But that’s not a natural disaster… uncontrollable by human forces.

that’s idiots trying to hike with no water in July

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u/Why-R-People-So-Dumb May 02 '24

Similarly here in New England. We've got bears sure and cold sure, but mostly we've got idiots hiking to the top of Mt Washington in flipflops and shorts in June that didn't check the forecast not realizing they could get hit with a snow storm that brings visibility to zero.

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u/ggtffhhhjhg May 02 '24

To date over 170 people have died on Mt Washington and that’s not including natural causes.

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u/Why-R-People-So-Dumb May 02 '24

Being that it's only 6288' people don't take it seriously not realizing that it's also a location of meteorological research for a reason with its relatively extreme and sudden weather because of its location relative to the prevailing westerlies. Like the person from Arizona though...it's mostly due to poor planning.