Rant

I don't know if it's just me, but I've noticed significant driving differences from DC to Philadelphia. In DC, the driving isn't too complicated--people stay inside the lines, no matter what speed they're going. Everything is fairly orderly and safe.

In Philadelphia it's just the opposite--many people don't use their turn signals, they drive down the bike lane often, they go somewhere in between slow and fast when they're looking for parking, which means that you can't pass them but it's also painful to stay behind them, and they weave in and out of everything. It isn't as bad as, but in the style of New York. Worst of all: they beep at me all the time! Granted, I drive somewhat like a grandmother, as the cliche goes. However, I still find it very rude. There's also the problem of the really bad roads here--they just aren't fit to go very fast on.

I also frequently read about deadly hit and runs in the paper. I can't tell exactly--Philly's big newspaper strikes me as slightly tabloid-y (a photo gallery of the 2011 "Naked Bike Ride" has been up for several weeks and they're constantly advertising their "Daily New Sexy Singles"--so much that the paper seems to be a mix between newspaper and singles site). I mean, the newspaper also frequently has articles about how many people are shot in a given day. The Washington Post infrequently if ever posts articles like this. I can't tell if it's a difference in crime rates or a difference in focus of the papers--the WaPo focuses on political, national news.

Thoughts from those who have driven (or read newspapers) in both places?