It isn't sometimes, combine it with people just not paying attention to signals and it is most of the time. You really think it is safer to try to change lanes while someone floors the accelerator to keep you out?

I'm not using "nobody's perfect" as an excuse, I'm saying that in certain parts of the country different laws are ignored safely for different reasons.

This is also different than going a bit above the limit when that is the prevailing speed of traffic. It is never safer to make sudden, unsignaled maneuvers. "Nobody's perfect" is not an excuse.

So "nobody's perfect" isn't an excuse, but "all the other kids were doing it" is?

You're wrong again. I'm not pulling that out of my ass. Cops in NJ and elsewhere have given out tickets for going the speed limit if the flow of traffic is significantly higher. The charge is often Reckless Driving.

Yes, I've long thought that American drivers were generally selfish, inconsiderate assholes (not saying I'm a perfect driver by any means, but there's a world of difference between mild speeding and the occasional missed signal or quick lane change and truly aggressive, road rage style driving.) However, then I lived and traveled overseas extensively, and let me tell you, compared to most places American drivers are positively selfless, polite, obedient little drones.

Try getting around by motor vehicle in Manila, or Bangkok, or Jakarta, or China (pretty much anywhere), or Mexico City, or Istanbul, or Cairo, or for that matter France, Spain, Italy, etc. Many European countries have significantly higher accident death rates than the US does, and most of that difference is due to driving that is too fast, reckless, and aggressive. Yes, Boston and San Francisco drivers do suck, but they'd be eaten alive by the drivers of Mexico or the Philippines. In the Philippines, for instance, most roads and intersections aren't marked or signaled very well. Lanes often don't exist and even when they're indicated, they're nothing more than suggestions that drivers feel free to ignore. Same goes for signals. Speed limits? You've got to be kidding. Guardrails, hazard signs, and all the rest? Don't make me laugh! The traffic jams in Manila are notorious but are undoubtedly worse than they need to be due to the anarchy on the roads and the inadequate, poorly-designed infrastructure. And just wait until it rains--it might as well be a blizzard, as everything comes to a grinding halt and stays that way for a long time.

So, let's keep things in perspective, shall we? US accident death rates are lower than they were in the 1970s-1980s (far lower than in the 1950s) and even our total annual number of deaths from traffic accidents is comparable or lower than it was in the 1960s, which is remarkable given the 50%+ increase in American population since then (safer vehicles and lower rates of drunk driving have a lot to do with it, but likely don't account for all the improvement.) Warm and fuzzy Ozzie and Harriet stereotypes aside, the 1950s was a much more dangerous time to be on American roads than the 2000s is.

everyone is being a prick like Lynx and won't give you space to merge into

Wrong yet again. Keep it up, you'll likely be recruited by the Republicans. I never said I don't give others the change to merge, I said it is the predominant practice in certain regions of the country. Most of the time I do, unless you're driving up the breakdown lane and then want to cut in in front of me or similar behavior.

The sad truth is that we have created a society so dependent upon the automobile as the primary mode of transport that a huge part of society that should never get behind the wheel are forced to do so, carrying with them the habits they would have in a mass movement of pedestrians, say in or out of a large sports stadium.That they do so encased in heavy metal cocoons has forced the scale of the newer cities to expand from human scale to that of the cars. There needs to be better mix of ways to get to work.

I am somewhat encouraged by the number cited for yearly traffic fatalities nationwide, 26,000. It is quite a bit lower than it used to be, and I believe MADD has done about as much to bring about this lower number as is likely to be possible. Airbags and seat belt use are also to be credited, but driving habits are still one of the biggest contributors to the annual slaughter.

Automating the highways and the cars will help but the switchover will probably take longer than we will have access to the remaining fossil fuels to keep using this "one size fits all" mode of transport. Our grandchildren will look in awe at this age of affluence.

@nkennedy wrote: "If you drag-race down to the end and there's no space to move into because everyone is being a prick like Lynx and won't give you space to merge into, then you've got nowhere to go and will end up in a high-speed wreck."

I think you're projecting here. Who's drag-racing? If you drag-race to the end of the merge lane just to pass everyone, you're being a prick too. I said drive, by which I meant synchronize my speed to that of the vehicles already on the road, and merge when it's safe to do so. If no one lets you in, merge when the road runs out, at the same speed. Synchronizing speed is key. Go with the flow.

As I said, it may not work everywhere. My driving style is adapted to the local conditions.

Sometimes I play a game on the road. It's a simple plus/minus game involving brake lights. If the car in front of you brakes and you don't, take a point. If you brake when the car in front of you hasn't, deduct a point. And if you can see more cars in front of you all braking when you're not, you get a point for each consecutive car that braked. (Just don't be a dope about it--brake when needed.)

This game forces you to watch the road in front of you, anticipate, and allow sufficient space to avoid braking. It's a bit Zen in the bargain, and improves both fuel economy and traffic flow.

In Seattle, in my observation, premature merging and excess braking cause nearly as much traffic backup as drivers gaping at police cars, accidents or any other roadside distraction.