Driving In NYC

"Driving In NYC"

New York is often acclaimed as the most exciting
city in America in which to drive. Who would argue?
Herewith, for newcomers and visitors, are a few
basic rules of the road for driving in these parts:

- To obtain a general idea of how to drive in New
York, go to a Knicks game and carefully watch the
fast break. Then get behind the wheel of your car
and practice it.

- Never take a green light at face value. Always
look right and left before proceeding.

- When in doubt, accelerate.

- In the long run, parking your car in a lot is always
cheaper than parking it at a meter.

- Drivers whose cars sport "I Brake For Animals"
bumper stickers may brake for animals, but they
may not brake for you. Watch it.

- Never drive behind a person whose head doesn't
reach the top of the steering wheel.

- Teenage drivers believe they are immortal. Don't
yield to the temptation to teach them otherwise.

- Taxicabs should always have the right of way,
unless you are bent on suicide.

- Never, ever, stop for a pedestrian unless he flings
himself under the wheels of your car.

- The first parking space you see will be the last
parking space you see. Grab it.

- Learn to swerve abruptly. New York is the home
of slalom driving, thanks to the Registry of Motor
Vehicles, which puts potholes in key locations to
test drivers' reflexes and keep them on their toes.

- Steer clear of people with antinuclear bumper
stickers pasted on their cars. They are interested
in preserving mankind, which is admirable. They
are not necessarily interested in preserving you,
or themselves, for that matter. They have more
important things to think about.

- Never get in the way of a car that needs extensive
bodywork.

- Double-park in the North End of New York, unless
triple-parking is available.

- Always look both ways when running a red light.

- While it is possible to fit a 15-foot car into a 15-foot
parking space, it is seldom possible to fit a 16-foot
car into a 15-foot parking space. Sad but true.

- There is no such thing as a short cut during rush-
hour traffic in New York.

- It is traditional in New York to honk your horn at cars
that don't move the instant the light changes.

- Never put your faith in signs that purport to provide
directions. They are put there to confuse people who
don't know their way around the city.

- Use extreme caution when pulling into breakdown
lanes. Breakdown lanes are not for breaking down,
but for speeding, especially during rush hour.

- Never use directional signals, since they only
confound and distract other New York drivers, who
are not used to them.

- Similarly, never attempt to give hand signals. New
York drivers, unused to such courtesies, will think you
are making obscene gestures to them. This could be
very bad for you in New York.

- The yellow light is not, as commonly supposed
outside the New York area, a signal to slow down.
It is a warning to speed up and get through the
intersection before the light turns red.

- Never pass on the left when you can pass on the
right.

- In making a left turn from the right lane, employ the
element of surprise. That is, do it as suddenly as
possible, so as to stun other drivers.

- Speed limits are arbitrary figures posted only to
make you feel guilty.

- Whenever possible, stop in the middle of a
crosswalk to insure inconveniencing as many
pedestrians as possible.

- Remember that the goal of every driver is to get
there first by whatever means necessary.

- Above all, keep moving. Good luck -- you'll need it!
Received on Thu Mar 25 09:35:27 2004