Back in the days when I worked for a large US company, I remember the shock on my colleagues faces the first time they got in a car with me :) Apparently I should never have acknowledged any other drivers at all, never mind waved a hand to let them know that they could go first. The reasons they gave me for driving without making eye contact with other road users all boiled down to paranoia that these other drivers might take offense and come and "get" them. I don't know Baltimore well enough to know whether that paranoia is totally justified, but the attitude was pretty consistent with everyone I spoke to about it.
When the guys came over to the UK, they freaked out a little at the courtesy hire car I had here (car was being repaired) as it was emblazoned with the garage's logo and had the words "courtesy hire car" written on it - apparently this had them convinced that I would be a magnet for all the malicious other-car drivers, who were bound to crash into it deliberately. I must admit that this odd attitude did have some bearing on my decision not to take a permanent role with the company over there when it came up!
At the time I worked there, there was only one circle in Towson and it was normal to see large queues of nervous and hesitant drivers at all the other exits, making it a breeze for me to sail round :)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-03-26 07:37 am (UTC)When the guys came over to the UK, they freaked out a little at the courtesy hire car I had here (car was being repaired) as it was emblazoned with the garage's logo and had the words "courtesy hire car" written on it - apparently this had them convinced that I would be a magnet for all the malicious other-car drivers, who were bound to crash into it deliberately. I must admit that this odd attitude did have some bearing on my decision not to take a permanent role with the company over there when it came up!
At the time I worked there, there was only one circle in Towson and it was normal to see large queues of nervous and hesitant drivers at all the other exits, making it a breeze for me to sail round :)