Posted 4/24/2005 04:40:00 PM by Douglas

Here's a mildly entertaining article about driving in Houston, from The London Telegraph, of all places. And while just about every point is true for driving anywhere in the country, one thing's for sure: he's defiantly been to Houston.

It is essential to adopt the appropriate driving posture to fit in with other truck users. This entails leaning against the driver's door, with the left wrist draped limply on top of the steering wheel with the free hand placed firmly against the headrest of the passenger seat. On Houston's road this pose is thought of as highly macho.

I'm not so sure about this one. I don't think you can pull off this posture without a big Stetson.

A few more general tips and observations on driving here may also be of interest. Above all you must realise that while you are in the vehicle, driving is only a minor consideration and should not detract from shaving, applying make-up, doing one's hair, reading the morning papers, making telephone calls, having breakfast or even enjoying a light lunch.

How very true, but again, not unique to Houston. I read once where German car makers were appalled at the notion of putting drink holders into the cars they export to America. The notion of something as benign as having a drink wile driving is completely foreign to them. Imagine how German engineers would think about our driver's side make-up mirror in the visor?

One final observation: Houston has a well documented history of flooding. Despite numerous signs, flashing lights, depth gauges and the very occasional police presence, there are always people who are really curious to find out whether or not their car will float. Initially, for the record, it will. Eventually it will not.

Yeah, ain't it cool? There's a word for this: It's called natural selection. I was actually dumb enough to drive into water that started coming in from under the door, and that was scary enough. Most people here (at least the ones that have taken defensive driving) know it takes less than two feet of water to carry off most cars. That's not much, but as my dad always said, you can't tell how deep the water is from lookin' at the top.