I just got back from the New York auto show with my buddy Phil the Photographer and we both noticed a stunning difference between both countries where warnings, hazards and general safety are concerned.
As we cruised I87, 287, 17 and others, we could not help but be bombarded with road signs warning us of impeding doom as a work/construction area approached. Notices like “Slow down”, “Work zone ahead”, “Fines for speeding double” and “You will be shot dead on site if you do 1 mph over the posted limit you bastard!” (OK, overboard with the last one) were posted miles before the work zones, then plastered from field to overpass as the zone was entered. It was evident that the speed limit was NOT a suggestion.
By contrast, on our side of the boarder, signs were clearly labelled at the beginning of the construction area but no more. The posted speed limit seemed more like a “well, you know it would be best if you backed off the throttle a little...”.
Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with the way we do it here; we typically get the message. The US has a tendency to over-emphasize certain things and I fear that its citizens may become blazé and desensitized to these warnings over time. Next, they'll have to paint the highways orange...
Our decidedly more laid-back approach may seem a little too casual but I think it's at least as effective.
As we cruised I87, 287, 17 and others, we could not help but be bombarded with road signs warning us of impeding doom as a work/construction area approached. Notices like “Slow down”, “Work zone ahead”, “Fines for speeding double” and “You will be shot dead on site if you do 1 mph over the posted limit you bastard!” (OK, overboard with the last one) were posted miles before the work zones, then plastered from field to overpass as the zone was entered. It was evident that the speed limit was NOT a suggestion.
By contrast, on our side of the boarder, signs were clearly labelled at the beginning of the construction area but no more. The posted speed limit seemed more like a “well, you know it would be best if you backed off the throttle a little...”.
Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with the way we do it here; we typically get the message. The US has a tendency to over-emphasize certain things and I fear that its citizens may become blazé and desensitized to these warnings over time. Next, they'll have to paint the highways orange...
Our decidedly more laid-back approach may seem a little too casual but I think it's at least as effective.