If you drive defensively in Texas, you may be familiar with the following observations. If you don’t, you may or may not notice similarities from the state in which you drive in. Texas is so big, yes I know that is a cliché, but it is also true, that you can find all sorts of driving in different types of cities. The people you meet are one of a kind. The weather is sometimes unpredictable, but it’s best that if you are driving in Texas that your vehicle have air conditioning.
The cities in Texas themselves are more varied. For example, Austin defensive driving has more hills than Houston. Actually, any town can have more hills than Houston defensive driving. Big cities like Houston have suburbs, inner city, farmland, and within those, traffic. The traffic in Houston is one of the worst in the country. It can take someone one hour to get to work in the morning. And that is not at all uncommon. The improvements made to some highways, like Interstate 10 have eased that a bit, but now there are tolls and more and more people. It won’t be long before it gets back to the way it used to be. The suburbs are just as you see them in the movies. Houses look similar, there are kids everywhere and from the hours of 6 am to 8am as well as from 4pm to 7pm, you’re driving will be hectic. More and more people are moving back into the city. That means more traffic going into the city then there was before. Cows don’t seem to be that much trouble in the country but hitting a deer is very common, and of course dangerous.
There is a saying that very few people in Houston are natives. That is because so many people come from different parts of the country and world to settle there. The medical and oil industries have kept Houston from falling as far as other cities during the economic crisis. People that were able to sell their houses in California for example, go to Houston and get more home for their dollar. Maybe the Californians find the driving in Texas not so bad compared to what they had. But lets not forget the southern hospitality that you get from the locals. Yes they will flick you off in the middle of the road, and maybe even try to run you over with their trucks, but they can make some awesome iced tea, BBQ and fajitas.
The weather may be just as volatile as the people. One day you will need to drive with your AC at full blast and the next just roll down the windows and enjoy the fresh air. Recent storms have taught the Texan drivers that it is not a good idea to drive down a road when you can’t see the pavement. But it is amazing to be driving in the middle of strong rain one second and sunny roads the next. You can sometimes see the curtain of rain behind you. During spring you can see fields and fields of blue bonnets and daisies. There aren’t buildings as old as there are in other places, but mother nature provides for beautiful scenery.