> Even in dense US cities, being on two wheels is dangerous
I think it's made particularly true because of the very low requirements for driving license in the US, which end up letting dangerously unskilled people on the road.
In 2014 I went from Paris (which at that time hasn't done its cycling transition yet and I was one of the very few cycle commuter in the city by then) to Boston, and it was a terrifying experience despite the city being actually pretty gifted in terms of infrastructures (with the Charles river banks being kind of a bicycle highway).
American drivers (or as least Massachusetts's) have very little spatial awareness, they watch the car in front of them and that's it (well, when they are looking at it and not their mobile phone), most of them don't even check before turning and changing lane. As a result I had 3 really close calls over the course of 4 months, when I never had a single situation as dangerous in 2 years in Paris. I also witnessed roughly as many small accidents between cars in that period than in my whole life.
I discussed with other Europeans there and the ones who had to get their US driving license told me how lenient the process was compared to the European equivalents.
littlestymaar|1 year ago
I think it's made particularly true because of the very low requirements for driving license in the US, which end up letting dangerously unskilled people on the road.
In 2014 I went from Paris (which at that time hasn't done its cycling transition yet and I was one of the very few cycle commuter in the city by then) to Boston, and it was a terrifying experience despite the city being actually pretty gifted in terms of infrastructures (with the Charles river banks being kind of a bicycle highway).
American drivers (or as least Massachusetts's) have very little spatial awareness, they watch the car in front of them and that's it (well, when they are looking at it and not their mobile phone), most of them don't even check before turning and changing lane. As a result I had 3 really close calls over the course of 4 months, when I never had a single situation as dangerous in 2 years in Paris. I also witnessed roughly as many small accidents between cars in that period than in my whole life.
I discussed with other Europeans there and the ones who had to get their US driving license told me how lenient the process was compared to the European equivalents.