PA Dutch Country Driver's Guide

I live 15 miles from my work office. It is a twenty mile drive almost evenly split between secondary roads and the freeway. It usually takes me 30-35 minutes. If you have never driven here before it is like driving in another world.

This post constitutes my warning for those who have never driven here.

If driving here from somewhere else you will soon notice that the typically respected rules-of-the-road seem to have been suspended. Any hint of courtesy is non-existent. It seems some laws are enforced; others are not. That’s how I read the PA Driver Handbook, anyway. It’s funny to me, too, as this is the only place I know where you get attitude when driving, what to me is, THE WAY YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO. My driving habits were greatly influenced by years of living in California during those ‘formative years.’ I was taught things like, ‘Never impede the flow-of-traffic; it’s rude.’

The most common annoyances for me are first, the ‘left-lane cruisers.’ These are the people that sit in the left lane of a four lane divided highway when they are not passing anyone. They have signs on the infamous PA Turnpike that read, ‘Stay Right/Pass Left.’ People cruise right by in the left lane when there could be no one in the right lane for miles. I really don’t get it.

My commute on the way home is notorious for this. Ten miles from where I enter the freeway there is a split with another freeway. I assume people think because they have to be in the left lane TEN MILES AWAY that it is okay to just cruise in the left lane. I drive the way I was taught; just as the sign reads. Stay right and only be in the left lane when passing someone or exiting.

Tonight’s commute offered excellent example of the driving ‘cultural conflicts.’ I was driving as I always do. Stay right, pass left. With turn signals used for any lane changes; we’ll save more on that for later. I pulled into the left lane ahead of some left-lane cruisers; passed the car on the right. I re-entered the right lane. I came upon another car that I wanted to pass but slowed and let the left-lane cruisers PASS. I put my turn signal on, got in the left lane and the local driver in the left lane slowed down. He drove adjacent to the car in the right lane; even let a gap open up so others could pass on the right. I admit after that I did ride his ass. He was obviously being a jerk. So funny to me how you can drive LIKE YOUR SUPPOSED TO here and people get ATTITUDE. I’ve lived here a long time and I will never ‘get it.’

I mentioned briefly above the use of turn signals. This is my second local driving annoyance. While driving in Lancaster County please understand one thing. It seems many of these people are little more than a generation away from a horse-and-buggy; it appears the turn signal nothing more than a modern convenience. Any thought of ‘courtesy’ is completely absent. I just watch in amazement as I spend a good deal of time driving everyday. One of the best bumper stickers I ever read said, ‘Use your turn signals….NOT TELEPATHY.’ Again, I just don’t get it.

Just a warning to potential visitors; don’t want to get anywhere very quickly.

I had friends visiting one time from Chicago. The wife was born-and-raised here; smart enough to get out, but her husband had never been here before. We set out-and-about on a day tour of the County. I explained to him where we were going as we set out on our tour. He asked, ‘How long until we get there?’ I thought and replied, ‘about half and hour.’ He said okay.

After our first stop we set out for our second. As we got in the car he asked again, ‘How long until we get there?’ I thought and replied, ‘about half an hour.’

We went to our second destination and headed for our third. The routine was the same and he looked at me and asked, ‘Is this the kind of place where everywhere is half-an-hour from everywhere else?’ I thought a moment and said, ‘YES!’ It’s an odd little place of communities separated by three to five miles of farmland. I live on the southwest corner of the ‘micropolis.’ In one direction all developed into the city; on the other all country and ‘preserved’ farmland across rolling hills.

The countryside is beautiful; despite the rude drivers the freeways do move close to the speed limit; just always expect some stall on the overwhelmed secondary roads.

Stay safe and watch out for the buggies. They can be pretty rude, too, but that’s a whole other blog post. Wink

Hope all’s well, everyone’s warm.

Take care, have fun.