The United States is a great place to drive. Put together it’s vast and varied terrain, extensive road network and exciting selection of cars and you have a top-notch driving destination for the enthusiast. Just stay away from traffic-prone city sprawl of course.
Despite these driving friendly features of the USA there are some major improvements that could be made with the introduction of a little international flavor to the US road system.
Here are some features popular in Europe that would help make America American roads great again:
Replace Stop Signs with Yield Signs
America loves the stop sign. The octagonal red symbols make great spots for laying down some rubber on acceleration but many, many times they just aren’t necessary. Especially in 4-way stop form.
It’s time to introduce more “Yield” or "Give Way" signs in place of stop signs. You can spend weeks driving around a country like Denmark and not see a single stop sign. Switching stops out for yields would:
- Increase fuel economy (less fuel wasted accelerating from a full stop)
- Reduce/eliminate traffic tickets for rolling through intersections with stop signs
- Reduce vehicle wear and tear (less braking required, less acceleration/shifting required)
- Encourage driver attention (drivers will have to observe and think for themselves)
Roundabouts / Traffic circles
This ties in with the above point. All 4 way stops could/should be converted to roundabouts. Many of the same benefits that come with yield signs would be enjoyed with roundabouts. Additional benefits would be:
- 90% fewer fatal collisions (fewer high speed, perpendicular impacts which are very common on intersecting US roads)
- Easy direction reversal if you miss a turn (just loop around the circle and retrace your path)
- Reduction in congestion and delays
- Cost savings over time (compared to an intersection with traffic signals which cost $5,000-10,000 USD/year)
- No loss of function during power outages
- Elevation of the arts and gardening (beautiful sculptures and/or landscaping can be placed in the central circle of the roundabout...okay joking)
Red > Yellow > Green Traffic Lights
In the US traffic lights warn drivers when the light is about to turn red by switching from green to yellow but the change from red to green is abrupt. There is no indication that green is coming up and many drivers -now distracted with their smartphones- are slow to accelerate after the light change.
Contrast the above with traffic lights in countries like Denmark, Germany and the UK where a red light transitions to a brief period of simultaneous red AND yellow indicating that green is coming up and you’ll be able to accelerate through the intersection shortly. The benefits of this system are:
- Drivers can be prepared for acceleration (choose the right gear, depress the clutch etc)
- Less wasted green light time waiting for slow-to-react drivers
- Better fuel economy because of less time idling at traffic lights
What About You?
- Do you think these changes would be good or bad for US roads and drivers?
- Are there other benefits I’ve left out?
- Do you have a favorite road improvement idea to share?
Lake Tahoe near Incline Village installed roundabouts a few years ago.... never really thought about it much... I think a smaller city within the US needs to try this out slowly and see if the data matches what has been reported. If positive, more cities can jump on, but I can see tax hikes to pay for reconstruction of existing infrastructure.
Right. I'd be disappointed to see tax hikes but in cases where cities are ripping things up anyway or the cost would be break-even I'd appreciate the change.
Love your ideas man! One that I would add as #1 to the list.....NO speed limits! I know I catch a lot of flack from statists on this one, "everyone will drive 100MPH and kill people". Not true. If people used the left lane as a passing lane only, we wouldn't have any issues with speed. Most people drive as fast as they are comfortable. See the autobahn's crash statistics for a reference on how speed doesn't kill. The sudden deceleration does ;)
Yes! I'd love to have the German autobahn system as well. I've spent quite a few hours on the autobahn network (at least for someone who doesn't live in Germany) and I think it's great. I think to import the speeds to the US we'd also have to import the:
I'm sure all these things are possible whether on a state road system or a private, free market road system but somehow I just don't see them showing up in America anytime soon under either system. I guess we'll just have to make regular pilgrimages to Germany to enjoy the experience.
As a side note: if Denmark would eliminate it's 130 kmh max speed limit it could be even better than driving in Germany because the level of traffic is so low (at least in the areas I have experience with near Aalborg, Aarhus etc).
I think the free market would provide bullet points 2 & 3. I can't under any certainty say that for a state run system. But #1, imo, would sort itself out rather quickly once the 'rules of the road' had been implemented. When people are not afraid of silly statutes dictating their speed, they will drive as fast as they feel comfortable. It will be commonplace to know that if you're in the left lane and not passing someone, you get honked at and ridiculed. It would be so commonplace that after getting honked at, the person moves over to the right lane and actually feels like an asshole for making someone behind them brake in the left lane.
Typed that out really fast and realized how much optimism I have for mankind. Please let it be true!!
Hear hear!
Great. Nice share i follow You.
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STOPRound abouts are horrible! Great post! Thank you for sharing.
Even though they cost less long term, reduce fatalities and usually eliminate annoying stops? :)
That makes sense, but they can be tricky to navigate sometimes.
Right, I know what you mean. I personally like them but I do have friends/family in the US who don't enjoy them. I don't love the more complex multi-lane versions myself but then again I don't love complex multi-lane intersections either.
I don't think we have got them perfected, or I am just too old for change. 👍🏼😁
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STOP