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Talk about a moment of triumph. Not only did i hit only one thing but i managed to scare the crap out of myself numerous times D:. Any advice on getting started with driving would be much appreciated. So is everyone this nervous their first time out or is it just me? Why is it so hard to turn your first time out . Lets just hope that i don't drive worse then asians cause that would be really scary D:.(stereotyping FTW YOU ASIAN NOT BSIAN) So other then the terrifying start of me running over a cable box(holy crap). It was a learning and rewarding experience.
   
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Dude my turning was terribad my first couple times driving. You learn how to turn pretty quickly though. Just gotta get used to be aggressive. GL bro!
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I remember it feeling awkward the first time driving. I drove with my parents first. Even if you don't want to, theyve been driving for many many years and know how to drive. If your parents are older, they may even know how to drive stick, my parents and all my friends parents can drive stick .
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I suggest u become part of the very small % of Americans that can actually drive stick shift. If you haven't already got a car, look into getting a 5-6 speed. Better gas mileage and longer life as well as cheaper repairs in general. Also faster.
As for driving. Anything new is scary at first. In a few months u will be doing it withought even thinking. Which is a bit scary. Thats another reason I suggest stick shift. It actually forces the driver think from time to time, thus being more aware in general. Especially of what you are asking the car to do (shift, down shift, engage a gear etc). Cars today are becoming so automated and unsafe. Idk how many times a day I see some soccer mom with a starbucks in her hand while talking on the phone at the same time.
/end rant
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I remember having a hard time parking at first, and I remember spending like half an hour in the borders parking lot with my dad just parking over and over again. After like a week or two of driving you won't even think about it anymore. Weird that I've been driving for like 8 years now...it used to seem like such a big deal and now it's just another thing I take for granted. Hmmmm.....
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Slow down going into turns. I didn't realize I had to do that at first. I'm not sure why. Scared the crap out of my mom, though!
And always assume that everyone else on the road is a worse driver than you, which they are. Even now, just starting out, you're better at it than a lot of people. Most people don't know how to merge, or what to do at a 4-way stop, or what to do when a traffic light is not working. It's amazing. So, keep your eye on those maniacs.
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On January 27 2012 13:51 FullNatural wrote: I suggest u become part of the very small % of Americans that can actually drive stick shift. If you haven't already got a car, look into getting a 5-6 speed. Better gas mileage and longer life as well as cheaper repairs in general. Also faster.
As for driving. Anything new is scary at first. In a few months u will be doing it withought even thinking. Which is a bit scary. Thats another reason I suggest stick shift. It actually forces the driver think from time to time, thus being more aware in general. Especially of what you are asking the car to do (shift, down shift, engage a gear etc). Cars today are becoming so automated and unsafe. Idk how many times a day I see some soccer mom with a starbucks in her hand while talking on the phone at the same time.
/end rant Not if you have an M3!!!
Yeah, I highly suggest getting a stick shift for your first car. Not only will it help you learn how to drive, but it will also make driving a way funner experience.
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Learn how to power slide, avoid banana peels, figure out which button launches the turtle shells, and press B just before you're about to spin out to avoid doing so (your car will make music).
But seriously, learn how far you need to turn the wheel to make left and right turns. Don't overturn the wheel! Also, make sure you slow down during turns. Find comfortable positions for your hands on the wheel too when you drive; don't grip it like you want to squeeze it to death. Relax; just stay alert.
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My mom and sister took me out in empty parking lots the first few times. I think thats a good place to start since there is less shit to run into. Turning can be hard. I learned to drive on a car that needed a front-end alignment on it, took me awhile to get used to that piece of shit :S
It's like anything else though, the more you do it the better you get at it.
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My first time out driving was in a really big, empty parking lot as well. Drive some more and it gets easier.
Relax, keep your eyes open, drive safely! glglgl
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One thing you should think about is thinking ahead. Don't wait until the last minute to cross lanes of traffic to make that left turn. You should typically have a destination in mind when driving and your route should reflect what will cause you the least hassle while driving. This gets rid of a lot of issues you might run into because you put a little thought into your driving route before actually driving.
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On January 27 2012 13:51 FullNatural wrote: I suggest u become part of the very small % of Americans that can actually drive stick shift. If you haven't already got a car, look into getting a 5-6 speed. Better gas mileage and longer life as well as cheaper repairs in general. Also faster.
As for driving. Anything new is scary at first. In a few months u will be doing it withought even thinking. Which is a bit scary. Thats another reason I suggest stick shift. It actually forces the driver think from time to time, thus being more aware in general. Especially of what you are asking the car to do (shift, down shift, engage a gear etc). Cars today are becoming so automated and unsafe. Idk how many times a day I see some soccer mom with a starbucks in her hand while talking on the phone at the same time.
/end rant
It's more efficient for gas anad stuff if you can shift properly, and that's not even really something worth mentioning in newer cars.
I'd get a stick just purely cause it's more fun IMO to drive. But other reasons is for it being "better" than an automatic is kind of BS
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If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day!
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I just passed my road test today.
Don't worry about it, it's just practice. Compare it to getting used to a new mouse sensitivity. My first time out I oversteered in a turn and rode up onto the sidewalk.
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Learn how to drive stick. 1000x better than automatic. Much more fun. It will make you much more attentive while driving even though you won't really be thinking about it (it will become second nature). You will be recognized as more badass than if you drove automatic. While driving manual you feel like you have a lot more control over the car. Also you don't need to worry about letting noobs who can't drive stick try to borrow your car.
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dont you guys take driving lessons? ;p
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Zurich15327 Posts
On January 27 2012 15:37 Abductedonut wrote: If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day! I almost killed a felllow TLer hydroplaning @ 230 km/h. It was completely instant, one second the road was bone dry, the next we hit a wall of water and my car starts planing. It probably took less than 15 or maybe even less than 10 seconds to regain control, but those seconds felt like minutes as we were sliding cross lanes between moving cars at over 200 km/h.
I did stay calm though and not touching the break, not steering but shifting down probably saved us. So yeah foot off the breaks if that ever happens.
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I went: 1) Drive around in a big empty parking lot and practice turning/parking (if you do this make sure they are.. 90 degree? spots, the diagonal ones are too easy to need any practice) 2) Drive around in a big neighborhood. Practice for staying in a lane/not hitting things lol/you're going slow enough in a neighborhood that it shouldn't be too "scary". The one I used made a big loop on the outside so I never had to go out on the actual road until I was comfortable. 3) Drive to store and back, etc.
Most of it for me was simply getting used to doing it. Driving (an automatic especially) is really fucking easy so long as you're paying attention to what is in front of you. IMO it really is just a comfort thing you learn through experience.
Also, I totally agree with NukeTheStars, I assume everyone on the road is an idiot because far too often they actually are fucking retarded. One of many examples, "don't text while driving" should not have even needed to be made a law in my state because it should be so obvious that its dangerous -_- The sad fact of the matter is a lot of people don't pay enough attention while driving so make sure you never assume someone is going to stop at a stop sign, a yield sign, or they're going to turn (a lot of people forget the turn signal is on) until you see them stop and/or slow down. I've been in 3 wrecks so far and all of them were from the other person not paying attention and running into us.
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On January 27 2012 18:05 Masq wrote: dont you guys take driving lessons? ;p I'm (honestly) wondering the same thing. Would be nice if someone explained how you get your license. For example in Germany you have to take 18 hours of driving theory and at least 8 hours of actual driving with an instructor (most people take a lot more than that) before you can even take the test, which 25% fail on their first try. Also if you take your driving test on an automatic car you aren't allowed to drive stick shift.
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UK Here. you basically have to have driving lessons if you want to pass your test.
I had 12 1 hour driving lessons. And then you have to pass you rhtoery as well.
Also, how hard can it be to dirve an automatic?
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Don't you have an instructor to teach you how to drive? Or at least someone who's a good driver who can help you out?
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I don't remember turning being the hard thing about learning to drive. Learning to use the clutch properly was the hardest part.
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Congrats on your first drive! I found it a bit scary when I finally drove on my own for the first time in a major road, but like many things, practice makes perfect. I thought the hardest thing (aside from using the clutch) about driving was estimation- knowing if you have enough space to overtake, to meet another car in a really tight road, things like that.
Like other TLers, I recommend learning on a manual car along with automatic (just not at the same time of course lol). You never know when you might go to Europe/another country where most, if not all of the rentals are manual! Always pays to be more versatile. Once you have the clutch down, the fun part is starting and stopping on steep inclines.
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Don't worry about being nervous, it's perfectly natural to be nervous the first time. As for turning you'll get better at it as you drive more, I hope you got taken out to an empty carpark or somewhere else that's empty for your first time driving. Just practice low speed manouevering, turning, stopping ,etc in an empty area for your first few times. Like a lot of other people have said already, the main thing you'll have to worry about is other road users once you get the hang of basic control over your car. Just take it slow and steady and progress from empty places to quiet side streets then main roads and etc as you get more confident and capable.
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You're sitting in a 2-ton chunk of metal, with the ability to go up to 100+ MPH at the stomp of a pedal(and a few seconds). Also, don't mind that it has several gallons of explosive fuel inside of it.
If that didn't scare you, you should be fine with some practice. Once you get better with driving, ask to drive places instead of letting your parents drive, if you can.
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Germany2896 Posts
On January 27 2012 13:32 decker247777 wrote: So other then the terrifying start of me running over a cable box(holy crap). It was a learning and rewarding experience. How the hell did that happen? Is your instructor incompetent, or why didn't he stop you?
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United States5162 Posts
On January 27 2012 18:36 btx0 wrote:I'm (honestly) wondering the same thing. Would be nice if someone explained how you get your license. For example in Germany you have to take 18 hours of driving theory and at least 8 hours of actual driving with an instructor (most people take a lot more than that) before you can even take the test, which 25% fail on their first try. Also if you take your driving test on an automatic car you aren't allowed to drive stick shift. To get a license all you have to do is be 16 and pass a theory, driving, and eye test. The specifics are different depending on the state. In my state, I didn't even have to take the driving portion since I took drivers ed in high school. Getting a license is easy and general rules of the road like proper distance, lane changes, blinker usage, ect are rarely enforced unless the cops are looking for an excuse to pull you over.
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Hong Kong9154 Posts
Learn how to deal with inclement weather so you don't end up like most every other driver (at least in my area) and crash when it drizzles a tenth of an inch of rain. Snow, rain, dense fog, sleet, hydroplaning, skids, high wind etc. People slow down to like 45 mph or below on the roads and highways here during these times and still manage to get into huge multiple car accidents. It's absolutely maddening.
When you suddenly see something like a rabbit or a squirrel on the road and there appears to be no safe way to go around it, I'd advise you to go through it instead of frantically swerving out of the way only to spectacularly crash into a tree and set your car on fire like what happened to a group of my friends a few years back. Indeed, for something that small, the animal will probably pass under your car unharmed while you go along merrily on your way. Try your very best not to hit an animal bigger than a dog, such as a deer, because those are pretty much equivalent to hitting a tree in terms of the damage that they can do to your car and to you and your passengers.
On the subject of crashes: put on your safety belt, and adjust it for your person. Ensure all passengers have their belts on before you go off onto the open road. Sit a safe distance away from the steering wheel so if the airbag deploys it doesn't gutpunch you to death.
Have insurance. Not fly-by-night insurance that technically gets you out of your legal jurisdiction's requirements, but real insurance with real coverage that won't screw you if you get into an accident, especially if you end up being the one that is determined as being liable for the damages.
Also, you must learn how to drive defensively. You cannot trust other drivers to keep you alive on the road and have to plan ahead for them to do something absolutely retarded like merge into your lane without looking, run red lights without warning, etc.
When you have passengers in your car, take extra care on the road. Not only do you have other people's lives in your hands, but also passengers increase the total weight and weight distribution of your car and may thus significantly decrease its handling performance.
I second the 'learn stick-shift' advocates in here, but whatever car you have is the car that you have. Take good care of it in terms of maintenance, and learn how it works. Learn how to do simple stuff like checking your oil, changing your air fiter, and others. Finally, learn how to change your tyres to the spare in an emergency and learn how to recieve or administer a jump start.
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Lol, I just remembered my first time driving: My dad clinging to the door's handle, his right foot stomping in the air as though he wanted to slam on the brake this friggin second, completely paranoid I might crash his car  Nothing happened. Nevertheless, as he got more relaxed (took only half a year or so^^), he had lots of advice for me. Go for someone experienced to drive with you, got me out of difficult situations more than once.
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On January 27 2012 18:23 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On January 27 2012 15:37 Abductedonut wrote: If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day! I almost killed a felllow TLer hydroplaning @ 230 km/h. It was completely instant, one second the road was bone dry, the next we hit a wall of water and my car starts planing. It probably took less than 15 or maybe even less than 10 seconds to regain control, but those seconds felt like minutes as we were sliding cross lanes between moving cars at over 200 km/h. I did stay calm though and not touching the break, not steering but shifting down probably saved us. So yeah foot off the breaks if that ever happens.
I had the biggest "what the fuck" look on my face reading this until I realized you were from Germany. All of a sudden 230km/h made sense.
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On January 29 2012 08:06 -Kaiser- wrote:Show nested quote +On January 27 2012 18:23 zatic wrote:On January 27 2012 15:37 Abductedonut wrote: If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day! I almost killed a felllow TLer hydroplaning @ 230 km/h. It was completely instant, one second the road was bone dry, the next we hit a wall of water and my car starts planing. It probably took less than 15 or maybe even less than 10 seconds to regain control, but those seconds felt like minutes as we were sliding cross lanes between moving cars at over 200 km/h. I did stay calm though and not touching the break, not steering but shifting down probably saved us. So yeah foot off the breaks if that ever happens. I had the biggest "what the fuck" look on my face reading this until I realized you were from Germany. All of a sudden 230km/h made sense.
Why? Germans are allowed to drive like reckless imbeciles? Never understood the mentality of speed freaks, especially on public road.
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On January 29 2012 09:07 Djeez wrote:Show nested quote +On January 29 2012 08:06 -Kaiser- wrote:On January 27 2012 18:23 zatic wrote:On January 27 2012 15:37 Abductedonut wrote: If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day! I almost killed a felllow TLer hydroplaning @ 230 km/h. It was completely instant, one second the road was bone dry, the next we hit a wall of water and my car starts planing. It probably took less than 15 or maybe even less than 10 seconds to regain control, but those seconds felt like minutes as we were sliding cross lanes between moving cars at over 200 km/h. I did stay calm though and not touching the break, not steering but shifting down probably saved us. So yeah foot off the breaks if that ever happens. I had the biggest "what the fuck" look on my face reading this until I realized you were from Germany. All of a sudden 230km/h made sense. Why? Germans are allowed to drive like reckless imbeciles? Never understood the mentality of speed freaks, especially on public road.
230 km/h is fast, but the real speed freaks are the ones overtaking you at 260 :/
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On January 29 2012 09:07 Djeez wrote:Show nested quote +On January 29 2012 08:06 -Kaiser- wrote:On January 27 2012 18:23 zatic wrote:On January 27 2012 15:37 Abductedonut wrote: If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day! I almost killed a felllow TLer hydroplaning @ 230 km/h. It was completely instant, one second the road was bone dry, the next we hit a wall of water and my car starts planing. It probably took less than 15 or maybe even less than 10 seconds to regain control, but those seconds felt like minutes as we were sliding cross lanes between moving cars at over 200 km/h. I did stay calm though and not touching the break, not steering but shifting down probably saved us. So yeah foot off the breaks if that ever happens. I had the biggest "what the fuck" look on my face reading this until I realized you were from Germany. All of a sudden 230km/h made sense. Why? Germans are allowed to drive like reckless imbeciles? Never understood the mentality of speed freaks, especially on public road.
I believe some german freeways don't have speed limits, so yes, you're allowed to drive quite recklessly.
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On January 29 2012 10:46 Canas wrote:Show nested quote +On January 29 2012 09:07 Djeez wrote:On January 29 2012 08:06 -Kaiser- wrote:On January 27 2012 18:23 zatic wrote:On January 27 2012 15:37 Abductedonut wrote: If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day! I almost killed a felllow TLer hydroplaning @ 230 km/h. It was completely instant, one second the road was bone dry, the next we hit a wall of water and my car starts planing. It probably took less than 15 or maybe even less than 10 seconds to regain control, but those seconds felt like minutes as we were sliding cross lanes between moving cars at over 200 km/h. I did stay calm though and not touching the break, not steering but shifting down probably saved us. So yeah foot off the breaks if that ever happens. I had the biggest "what the fuck" look on my face reading this until I realized you were from Germany. All of a sudden 230km/h made sense. Why? Germans are allowed to drive like reckless imbeciles? Never understood the mentality of speed freaks, especially on public road. I believe some german freeways don't have speed limits, so yes, you're allowed to drive quite recklessly.
Holy hell. Freeways must be insane to drive on. Hopefully there's multiple lanes so cautious drivers can drive without the fear of being rear-ended by someone who believes whatever he has to do is more important than other people's safety. Or maybe german drivers are just badasses? Schumacher was german right?
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On January 28 2012 01:24 MasterOfChaos wrote:Show nested quote +On January 27 2012 13:32 decker247777 wrote: So other then the terrifying start of me running over a cable box(holy crap). It was a learning and rewarding experience. How the hell did that happen? Is your instructor incompetent, or why didn't he stop you?
Probably incompetent. You shouldn't be relying on "instructors" to teach you how to drive anyways. Your parents/older siblings should be helping you, not some random ass dude/chick. Besides, it's not like the people teaching in driving schools are doing it because they love the job. You're just not gonna be getting instruction from someone who gives a fuck.
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On January 27 2012 21:37 [KGS]Slacker wrote: I don't remember turning being the hard thing about learning to drive. Learning to use the clutch properly was the hardest part.
Same. The damn car stalled all the time cause I was too fast on the clutch but that is only an issue if you drive with a stick.
I also found parking somewhat tricky. Depends of the size of the car though.
Tip of advice that everyone knows but not everyone follows: Keep your focus on driving and dont mess around with the radio, phone etc. You should also slow down if the weather is bad.
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On January 29 2012 14:39 EternaLLegacy wrote:Show nested quote +On January 28 2012 01:24 MasterOfChaos wrote:On January 27 2012 13:32 decker247777 wrote: So other then the terrifying start of me running over a cable box(holy crap). It was a learning and rewarding experience. How the hell did that happen? Is your instructor incompetent, or why didn't he stop you? Probably incompetent. You shouldn't be relying on "instructors" to teach you how to drive anyways. Your parents/older siblings should be helping you, not some random ass dude/chick. Besides, it's not like the people teaching in driving schools are doing it because they love the job. You're just not gonna be getting instruction from someone who gives a fuck.
This completely depends. A good instructor is honestly several thousand times better than learning from your parents, I probably spent three or four times more time driving with my parents than I did with an instructor, yet I still feel like I learned more from the instructor than my parents, in total.
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On January 29 2012 10:53 Djeez wrote:Show nested quote +On January 29 2012 10:46 Canas wrote:On January 29 2012 09:07 Djeez wrote:On January 29 2012 08:06 -Kaiser- wrote:On January 27 2012 18:23 zatic wrote:On January 27 2012 15:37 Abductedonut wrote: If you're ever hydroplaning, DO NOT slam on the breaks. Let go of the acceleration until you regain traction or very very lightly tap on the break. This might save your life some day! I almost killed a felllow TLer hydroplaning @ 230 km/h. It was completely instant, one second the road was bone dry, the next we hit a wall of water and my car starts planing. It probably took less than 15 or maybe even less than 10 seconds to regain control, but those seconds felt like minutes as we were sliding cross lanes between moving cars at over 200 km/h. I did stay calm though and not touching the break, not steering but shifting down probably saved us. So yeah foot off the breaks if that ever happens. I had the biggest "what the fuck" look on my face reading this until I realized you were from Germany. All of a sudden 230km/h made sense. Why? Germans are allowed to drive like reckless imbeciles? Never understood the mentality of speed freaks, especially on public road. I believe some german freeways don't have speed limits, so yes, you're allowed to drive quite recklessly. Holy hell. Freeways must be insane to drive on. Hopefully there's multiple lanes so cautious drivers can drive without the fear of being rear-ended by someone who believes whatever he has to do is more important than other people's safety. Or maybe german drivers are just badasses? Schumacher was german right?
Yeah our freeways generally don't have speed limits. Usually people won't drive faster than like 160km/h. And our freeways have almost always 3 lanes. German drivers are mostly either racers with 20 km/h too much or fucking snails driving 70 where 100 is allowed.
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