Chile Forum

El pescado wrote: So much for common courtesy

How long have you lived here?

At least your guy was neutral, he didn´t speed up to close the gap and make it harder for the driver on the ramp.....

Well, if we all lower our expectations to accommodate what people actually do then they'll just keep doing it... Some things are cultural preferences (fair enough), others are inconsiderate and some are just dangerous.

jehturner wrote:Well, if we all lower our expectations to accommodate what people actually do then they'll just keep doing it...

When in Rome....

I have been driving here in Chile for about 8 years now and it just seems to me that whether they are driving, walking down the street, or just passing someone the hallway with your arms loaded down with stuff they will not get out of the way for you. Its like they are walking around with blinders on their head...no peripheral vision or common courtesy to get the sam hell out of your way until you yell at them and then they look at ya like you just kicked their dog or other unspeakable act..but I guess its "MY" problem, right.

I´m a firm believer in the whole when in Rome philosophy and I´m not looking to change what Chile is about(other than a boycott on Nescafe) but you get in my way, you are either going to get run over, yelled at, or an elbow in your breadbasket. I have since changed my strategy after the first 10 or 15 encounters with the merge issue on the highway where now when I´m merging and I see a car in the lane with some space but is closing the gap and no other cars are around and the adjacent hammer lane is free, I mark my indicator lamp and I´m coming over whether they like it or not....mostly not!

That´s the way the collectiveros drive in my town, so I think you are adapting...of course you are right, people here are neither polite nor considerate, and public behaviour is getting worse, not better.