Leaderboard

You clearly have not had to deal with public transportation daily if you believe that. I have and it was simply not possible for me to rely on it, in Phoenix. Plenty of buses but one key thing you are missing here. Distance to work. When I lived in Peoria (15 minutes west of Phoenix, I was looking at busing from there to my job in Phoenix. The bus time alone would have consumed 3 hours my day whereas just driving there was less tan 40 minutes total each day. 20-30 stops in said route created that problem and solidifies the following point. Time is money and so are the simple logistics of just getting to work and back. For many folks, that time means everything, if you have a family to support and want to actually spend time with them, not to mention the sheer logistics of things like childcare and such when you are relying on the bus. Sorry, but your version of "idealism" here runs smack in the face of realism for most folks.

That only works if they're in a city. Nowhere near everybody that comes from another country moves to a city. 100%. The colors and shapes are there for this exact reason. You do not need to be able to read English to be able to safely navigate our roadways. Also, not having an official language of the US is kind of a major part of what the US is about, diversity. We're a melting pot of nationalities from all over the globe.

BTW @David, if you want to pass some blame here, start with the US itself circa the 1970s when we not only rejected the metric system, but a universal pictograph system used in just about every other country in the world. The U.S., Canada, and Australia were the only three that said no so if you want to start with us first before saying it's a non-english speaking immigrant driver problem. Europe has dozens of different languages across the continent yet drivers can drive from Germany to Italy, from France to Greece, with no issues with signs because of the standardized pictograph system in place there.

I agree 1000% But at least in the US and Canada, our roadways and signage between our 2 countries also have some sort of standardization. So there is that. But like you have stated many times, the idiocy of drivers not driving well has nothing to do with not knowing English. And not getting into the French language thing in Quebec, not knowing French or English does NOT prevent you from knowing that this is a STOP sign. Even though its not written in English. Meaning its NOT a language issue. Its a RED octogon and in North America, in Canada and in the US at least, THAT means a car has to come to a full STOP at the intersection.. And a French only speaking Quebecker, a full force Quebec nationalist separatist hatin' on the Henglish, and will never ever learn to speak Hanglish, will visit New York from time to time, Plattsburgh or Burlington, but NEVER Ontario, will KNOW to stop at the bloody intersection when he/she will come across this sign http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53dd6676e4b0fedfbc26ea91/54b6c509e4b062126976d942/58f6664de6f2e1a8b587d19e/1492607075008/20353724820_239383b608_k.jpg?format=1500w More to it than that, I think any non-English speaking human coming from any part of a non-English speaking country actually knows the word STOP. But whether Canada and the US did not agree with European signages...we could all agree that this signage, in German, is kinda universal... Other than in the US where the speed limit of 30 KM/H would be written in MPH Canada The language written is not important and not necessary to understand what a driver really should be doing in this zone. In Germany, the US and Canada, the signage is pretty much the same even though North America's signage differs from the European system. And for good measure...in Japan And although I do not know what the writing is telling me, because I UNDERSTAND the picture that it might BE a school zone, maybe as a driver passing by this place, I should be slowling down to either 15 MPH or 30 KM/H... The issue is not of language spoken, but maybe of quality of driving... And...the American way of obtaining a driver's license is 3rd world bad. American driver's and Canadian, really arent taught HOW, to drive, HOW to master the car. We pump out drivers, but we dont TEACH them ANYTHING. If anything, @David maybe your issues with drivers is how shytty our respective countries dish out driver's licenses to ANYBODY. Its like you say, its a privilege and not a right. And its OUR drivers that are of concern. Its definetely not the German drivers from Germany, or the Nordic European drivers or even those from Japan and Korea. Those Countries TEACH their drivers how to control a car. India, China, US, Canada...ALL fail. But it aint because of the lack of English... Its because of lack of skill.

I take the bus to work but that's only because it only adds abuot 5 minutes to my commute. It's an "express" route so there are only a dozen total stops but I get off on the first stop in Missouri and the route it takes is exactly what I would be taking with two stops in the middle, not out of the way at all. If I was one of the later stops, there's no way I'd waste an extra 30 minutes each way for the bus. I'm not sure how the attachment will work here but I get on at Highland and off at the first stop across the river in MO. MCT_Route_14X.pdf

True...plenty of buses and now a bit of light rail in the Phoenix metro area, but none of it would have been practical for my commutes...the 9 years I lived there, I lived in North Central Phoenix...one job worked downtown (which the bus might have worked, but it was only a 15 min drive), but mostly I worked in the burbs...27 mile freeway drive south to Chandler. SE to downtown Tempe/ASU area. East on surface streets to downtown Scottsdale. Freeways to NE Scottsdale. Commuting by car/SUV was the only practical solution for me.

And literally none of that is predicated on one’s ability to understand English. And feel free to look up California if you think there wouldn’t be economic repercussions for what you’re suggesting.

Literally every drivers Ed handbook points to signs as being designed to be understood regardless of writing (like the color red means stop and yellow means caution). No offense but I’m not going to indulge this further because every country does this with their road signage and for mostly the same reasons. The line is drawn with every drivers license test. If the pass the test, they get the license. Again, a lot of your complaints as just as common with American drivers as they are for non-English speaking drivers.

Some faulty logic there as signs on the road are mostly pictographs so that English is not an issue. The issue of non-english speaking drivers has more to do with the driving habits of their homelands (one drive to Tijuana back in '93 taught me this lol). There are folks who speak supposedly perfect English that can't drive for $h!. Your remark about Law, Medical, and Fire is faulty as well because there could be non-english speaking passengers (even if the driver speaks English) that may need to speak to them yet you're not calling for that to be gone. What if said driver died and you only have non-english speaking passengers to communicate with? I get your core point but it A.) will never happen and B.) will cripple the economy since there are millions of non-english speaking folks who and WORK and now you are saying they should not be able to drive to their jobs because of their lack of English speaking. Sorry but that does not fly, legally or morally.

I appreciate you honest feedback. I agree to disagree. Maybe 25% of the road signs in Washington state are pictograph only. Everything else is numbers and English. When I am in other countries that are not English speaking, I take a taxi and do not drive. My choice I know. All Countries have various languages which I agree with you on, many require native language speaking to drive that I have seen. America does not do this and here in Washington state, taxpayers pay for interpreters and for that, I feel it is wrong. 88 different languages are allowed to have the driver's license test read to them and they can get a license. This to me is wrong. When I travel out of the U.S. I take that risk that if I am in an accident, I might not be able to communicate with the local Medical, Fire and or Police. Risks of international travel. Sadly, the politicians are the ones that have screwed us over, looking for votes in every language segment. I also disagree with you that it will cripple the economy. Plenty of public transportation to get around. This has been proven that people who want to work figure out a way to get to work. Many countries I have seen will allow foreign workers to come in and work, but if they cannot speak the local language, they do not drive. They have to learn and use the local public transport system. I have no problem with a multicultural society. Anyone that is wanting to come here to work and for a better life is great, but we do not need to support them by letting them have access to everything as if it were a right. I see nothing morally wrong with requiring people to pay their own way, learn the local language to earn the right to drive. I get that for those that are not staying in a major city with a major public transportation system, driving is the most efficient way to get around and for that reason we find plenty of websites to help you navigate driving outside of ones country. Example Driving in a Foreign Country: What You Need to Know - Road Affair I find many multi-cultural folks and I also put white people in this group that have lost the edge to drive in their senior years or are scared of driving, not comfortable, etc. and yet they got a license as family pushed them into it. Driving and testing should be on going all the time to ensure everyone is current on laws, skills and vision. Seeing the huge increase in drivers due to the growth of the Seattle area and so many more accidents where timid drivers ended up getting hurt due to a discomfort of driving, one has to wonder what it will take to stop the madness. Thank you for the discourse on this as it is a subject that needs to be discussed especially as we have more and more seniors on the road as well as transplants that have moved from one state to another, then especially if they are originally from out of the U.S. they bring in their parents to help with the family. All good, but what about the safety of those already here and on the road? Where do you draw the line about who should and shouldn't be driving?