Driving in Austin

After driving in Austin for two months, I've come to two conclusions:

1. Austinites don't know how to drive.
2. The roads are set up poorly in Austin.

I have never seen so many car accidents along the highway or even the number of cars flipped into the ditch. And everyone here has warned me that nobody knows how to drive in the rain, let alone if the roads ever get icy. I know how to drive in the rain, ice, and snow but it's the other drivers I'm worried about. Austin is on the edge of hill country which means there are parts of the city where the roads are filled with hills and curves. I haven't witnessed any rainy day vs hill driving accidents yet but I shudder to think what those look like. When I was driving through the state of Texas, electronic billboards would list the number of fatal motor vehicle deaths there have been this year vs the number of deaths a year ago. I've even seen billboards that remind drivers not to drink and drive. Obviously these are things that Texans and Austinites need reminders of.

I don't know who planned the roads and how they connect to the many highways throughout the city but logic tells me that crossing three lanes of traffic immediately after you merge off a highway so you can turn at the intersection just a few hundred feet away isn't very safe. You know what else isn't very safe? Centre turning lanes that traffic from both directions are supposed to use. Also, what's the purpose of going through every increment of 5 in the speed limits throughout the city? I can drive down one road and the speed limit changes from 60 miles per hour to 45 to 40 to 20 then back up to 45 and 60 all within 10 minutes of driving. Or you can drive down a highway and it changes between 60, 65, and 70 frequently. I think Austin city planners just did this so they can reap the money in speeding tickets. In Ottawa, the speed limits were usually 60 km/hr, 80, or 100. I've only seen a few speed traps in Austin but maybe that's because all the cops are busy managing all the car accidents on the roads.

One thing where I'm undecided whether it  is good or bad thing yet but it's something I'm having a hard time getting used to is driving on the roads that run beside highways. When you're approaching an intersection, a new left lane appears and it's used like a u-turn lane that goes under the highway so you can whip around and drive in the opposite direction on the other side of the highway. I find myself getting into this lane a lot without meaning to drive in the opposite direction. I just want to drive down the cross street.

Connor has been 16 for almost a year now and we've procrastinated in letting him get his driver's license for reasons related to time and money (I want him to get driving lessons so he doesn't pick up my bad driving habits or Sheldon's). Now that we've moved to Austin, I'm scared to let him learn how to drive here.